


Help Me

by Swood3133



Series: Hankcon [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) is Bad at Feelings, Connor Deserves Happiness, Connor Loves Hank Anderson, Connor is embarrassed, Damaged Connor, Feelings, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, Fowler is a good boss, Gavin Reed is actually really nice, Gavin cares, Hank Anderson Deserves Happiness, Hank Anderson Is a Sweetheart, Hank Anderson Loves Connor, Hank Anderson is Bad at Feelings, Hank Anderson is afraid, Hank Anderson is good at Commanding a team, Hank is The Best, Hank takes care of Connor, Hurt Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Hurt/Comfort, Love my Beta-Reader, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Praise, Protective Hank Anderson, Sexual Assault, Sharing a Bed, Trauma, admitting feelings, connor is a badass, scared connor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-30 05:09:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 33,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18308828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swood3133/pseuds/Swood3133
Summary: This was going to be a one-shot but It is over 30 thousand words altogether and I know that I get overwhelmed with reading something that big! So I decided to separate it!Connor gets a new boyfriend and Hank is happy for him regardless of his own feelings burning a hole in his stomach. However, when the relationship starts looking strange, Hank is more than concerned about the welfare of his friend. Hank only hopes he can save him before its too late.





	1. Chapter 1

Hank hadn’t liked him since the day they first met. The blond buzz cut, the multiple scars all over his face and hands, the constant scowl that always seemed to be stuck on his face. He was about the same size as Hank, almost the same amount of muscle. Hank thought he looked like he would be a worthy opponent in a fight, a good challenge, he could still probably beat the guy. He looked like he might have been in the military. 

 

Why would Connor date a man like this? Hank couldn't imagine a worse match. They were completely different. Connor was soft and sweet, he was so genuine and gentle. The attractive android would never hurt a fly unless it was necessary, especially since he accepted his deviancy. Connor always took the extra step to make others happy and did little things to make everyone's day better. 

 

He would often make Hank his coffee in the morning when he arrived at the precinct. It was always the right temperature and tasted just the way he liked it. Throughout the day, Connor would randomly stand from his chair and go to the breakroom to either get another coffee or a small snack to help the lieutenant to stay focused. When they were at a crime scene, Connor always took extra steps to make sure all of his human companions were safe. 

 

Connor was such a beautiful soul, but this man was not. He always spoke very harsh and deep; he had a very rough energy about him. Just the way he walked and did things and the way he talked to people was very tough and unkind. Hank thought he looked like one of those people who would scare children just by walking by. Hank could vividly imagine him looking a baby and then the poor infant bursting out into tears. 

 

Hank absolutely  _ hated  _ the way he treated Connor. If Connor talked too much or said something that the man didn't like, he would pinch Connor’s side, causing the android to jump and quiet himself. He would tell Connor to do stuff for him and when the android didn't do it right away, he would place his face directly in front of Connor’s, blocking out everything else from his vision and would repeat his request. 

 

Hank was very important to Connor, his best friend really, so Connor made sure that Hank got to meet his boyfriend as soon as possible. They had met a bar, not Jimmy's bar and not the android bar. One of the dingy bars in the rougher side of town, Hank made sure he kept his gun on him when he found out where they were going. He was almost positive that this location was not Connor’s decision, and was later proven correct when Connor’s boyfriend got absolutely smashed within an hour. 

 

That is where Hank got acquainted with the man.  _ Malcolm Tucker.  _ The name didn't suit him, in Hank’s opinion. When Hank thought of a ‘Malcolm’, he imagined someone who was brave and did something with their life; nice people. This man definitely  _ wasn't _ nice. He had to admit, at that first meeting he seemed fine. Not too demanding or controlling, not like he was now. Hank still didn't think that he was right for Connor, though. 

 

Connor hadn't told him a lot about how he met Malcolm, he seemed to be hiding something but it wasn't Hanks business to pry. When Hank had asked for details on how they met, Connor would shrug it off or quickly try to dismiss the question. Hank wanted to know what initially attracted Connor to the man but again, Connor dismissed the questions again and rapidly changed the subject. It was a week after that when Hank met Malcolm, and he found it difficult to find an answer for Connor’s attraction too. 

 

Hank couldn't help but feel a tad jealous. It was a known fact to almost everyone that he had a crush on the android. He couldn't help it, Connor was just so sweet and caring and he definitely couldn't deny how attractive the android was. Hank thought he would be more upset about the fact that Connor found a boyfriend who wasn't him, but in all honesty, Hank genuinely wanted Connor to be happy and if this man made him happy, then Hank was okay with that. 

 

However, Hank couldn't see how this man made him happy. As their relationship advanced, the real Malcolm started to come out. He was mean, intimidating and controlling. Connor had risked all he had to fight for his freedom and the freedom of androids alike, all to be restrained again. 

 

Only two weeks after they had gotten together, and one week after Hank had met him, they moved in together. Hank had told Connor that he thought it was all moving too fast and that he should really take his time to think about it. The android assured him that it was fine and that he really wanted it. But Hank could still see the hesitation in Connors' eyes. This was not Connor’s idea. 

 

Hank noticed when they would be working that Connor’s phone would vibrate for two minutes straight from the number of texts that he was being sent. Malcolm forced Connor to get a real phone because he refused to use the android given number that would allow Connor to connect with him cybernetically. Hank didn't understand that either, he thought it was super cool that Connor had a phone in his head, almost laughed his head off every time they brought it up. 

 

Hank could already see that this wasn't going to end well, but he didn't want to tell Connor that. How could you just tell your best friend that you hate their boyfriend and that they should break up? This was Connor's first experience with a relationship, but Hank was at a loss for what to do. 

  
  


He could only hope that things were going to get better. 

 

They didn't. 

 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Hank and Connor were leaning against the tall table in the breakroom, laughing about how Reed had slipped and fallen on his ass on their way into the building. Connor said something along the lines of the how they were going to have to deal with Reed complaining about his ass all day, causing Hank to start laughing hysterically, almost dropping the sandwich in his hand. 

 

“Give it a fucking rest will ya?! People fall! It happens!” They heard Gavin scream from his desk, only causing the lieutenant to laugh harder, causing tears to run down his face. Connor stuck his head out of the door to look at Reed sitting at his desk. 

 

“I’m sorry detective Reed, but you are sitting on a bag of ice on top of a pillow from the break room. It is quite funny.” Gavin looked horrified. Hank laughed louder, trying to make his way to the doorway while taking in stuttering breaths. He excused himself to the bathroom, hardly able to stand without his own laughs knocking him over. 

 

“You know, the next time you fall, you're going to break a damn hip and I’m going to laugh my bruised ass off!!” Gavin yelled and Connor could hear Hank laughing more through the bathroom door. Hank made a note to make sure the lieutenant drank some water as soon as he came out of the washroom, he would definitely be tired and dehydrated after that.

 

Connor grabbed a water bottle from the break room, making sure it was room temperature as per Hank’s preference. The android returned to his desk, gently setting down the water bottle directly in front of the terminal. Hank should definitely see it when he sat down and hopefully get the hint and take a sip. Connor sat in his chair with a smile still plastered on his face as he turned his focus to the files in front of him.

 

Connor was part-way through the first fie when he felt a sudden quick movement on his desk. He noticed his phone about a foot away from him, vibrating rapidly. A text message, Connor figured, and he knew exactly who it was from. With that thought in mind, he slowly turned his attention back to the file at hand and away from the device. It could wait for a bit. 

 

It was only about two minutes later when it vibrated again. Again, Connor ignored it; he was at work, there were more pressing matters to deal with. Connor was sure that it probably wasn't important, It was probably just Malcolm telling him that he didn't do the dishes right last night or the laundry was done wrong. Or maybe he was telling the android to come home right after work, even though he did so every night. 

 

It was about five minutes later when his phone was vibrating almost constantly with the number of messages he was getting. Someone who didn't know any better would think that Connor was getting a phone call, more than a bunch of texts. Connors' eyes narrowed at the small device, he really didn't want to look at it, but he knew that he wouldn't stop until Connor answered. 

 

Finally, Connor had enough of the vibrating and the annoying sounds that the phone would make. He groaned as he leaned forward and grabbed the phone off the surface of the desk. He groaned lightly to himself, thinking of what the messages could say and the trouble he would be in when he got home if he didn't answer them. 

 

He turned the phone on and saw the notification, 

 

**28 New Messages**

 

Connor looked around him and made sure no one was looking at him, and that the lieutenant hadn't exited the washroom just yet. When he was satisfied with the lack of people around him, he opened the phone and began to read through the most recent ones.

 

**Answer your fucking phone!**

 

**How many times do I have to tell you that you are to answer when I message you**

 

**You better not be getting too close with that old man partner of yours**

 

**Are you going to fucking answer me?!**

 

**I just want to talk to you baby, I love talking to you**

 

**You are so fucking in for it when you get home!**

 

**I'm so fucking tired of your bullshit Connor!**

 

**I'm sorry baby, I don't want to be angry I love you.**

 

**Look at what you're doing to me Connor it's your fault I’m like this**

 

**How could you do this to me? I thought you loved me!**

 

**When you get home I’m going to-**

 

Connor doesn't get a chance to finish reading the message because he feels a hand come down hard onto his shoulder, and he is shocked out of a trance caused by the messages. He gasps and whips his head up to his partner above him. He quickly pushes the phone against his chest, hiding the messages on the screen. 

 

He noted Hank’s confused and worried face. The man looked concerned like he always did when Connor looked at his phone too much. The android had always said that he didn't want a phone, and in all honesty, he just didn't need one. He was basically a phone himself. He had told Hank that many times, so the detective was confused when the android got one for himself. 

 

“You alright there Con? Looks like you LED is going to burn itself out,” Connor turned slightly to see himself in the glass of the wall behind him. His LED was frantically flashing between red and yellow in time with his heartbeat. He shot his head back to Hank’s caring eyes, closing his eyes for a moment and forcing his LED to turn back to a calm blue. 

 

He opened his eyes again to a frowning Hank, “That’s cheating,” The man said as he let his hand slip from the android shoulder. Connor couldn't help but feel a tugging disappointment as the man’s large and warm hand left his shoulder. He liked when Hank touched him, it made the android feel safe. Hank was safety. Connor shook his head at the thought. He had to stop thinking about Hank like that, that's how he got into this position in the first place. 

 

“I’m alright Hank,” Connor chuckled as he placed his phone back down on the desk without replying to the messages that continued to come through the device. Hank looked at the phone and then back to Connor as it continued to vibrate. The lieutenant raised his eyebrows at Connor as the android looked back at him, trying to ignore the noise phone. 

 

He slowly opened his desk drawer and used his other hand to push the phone into the drawer, closing it right after. The drawer dulled the sound but it was still noticeable. The vibrations caused a small vibration to course through the rest of the desk. Due to the new movement, the pen that sat on Connors desk began to rock back and forth, rolling about the table top. Connor placed his hand on top of the small object, flashing a smile at the older man. 

 

Hank sighed and brought his first finger and thumb on the bridge of his nose, shaking his head in his hands. 

 

“Listen to Con, this guy, you don't need-”

 

“It's fine Hank, Don’t worry about it,”

 

Connor turned sharply back to the terminal in front of him, signaling that this conversation was over before it had even gotten a chance to start. The phone continued to vibrate in the desk, creating an annoying buzzing sound. 

 

Hank was at a loss of what to do. It was obvious that this relationship between the two wasn't healthy or happy. Hank wouldn't count how many times Connor had walked into the precinct while wiping tears off of his face or trying to hold back the ones that had yet to fall. 

 

Since they had gotten together, Hank had been seeing less and less of the android. They used to spend time together after work at least five days of the week, and on their days off they would make plans to spend the day together to do something fun. Connor would stay the night about three times per week, sometimes on the couch or sometimes on Hank’s bed. They both liked the latter better, but neither was willing to admit it to the other. 

 

Those days had dwindled and Hank couldn't even remember the last time they just hung out on his couch and watch stupid movies from the early 2000s. He could tell that Sumo really missed the android’s presence, too. They had tried many times to set aside time where they could spend the afternoon together to do whatever, but it always had to be canceled and rescheduled. Connor always gave the same excuses: Malcolm was sick and needed Connor to take care of him, Malcolm had set up a surprise date and Connor had to do that instead, sometimes the wouldn't be an excuse at all. 

 

Hank knew something had to be going on, there was clearly something wrong with this Malcolm guy he didn't treat Connor right and the older man hated it. But what could he do? It's not like he could go up to Connor and tell him that his boyfriend was awful, the android was his best friend. Connor was new to relationships, new to life in general. Shouldn't Hank allow him to experience life? 

 

But should Hank allow Connor to experience a relationship that could quite possibly be abusive? Hank could save Connor before anything bad happened. What if Connor didn't need saving though? What if Hank was just reading far too much into this? Maybe he just wanted to find bad things in their relationship so that he could have Connor for himself. 

 

There was that one time that Malcolm had come in and brought Connor a coffee, even though… he couldn't drink coffee. It appeared to Hank that Malcolm was trying to deny the fact that Connor was an android or he just didn't care. Now, Hank didn't agree in treating androids any different than humans. However, you couldn't just  _ ignore  _ that they were different and had different needs. 

 

Hank knew that androids quite liked to be praised and told they were doing a good job, or Connor did at least. He would always give Hank a megawatt smile when Hank told him he did something good. The android would light up as if Hank had just given him everything he had ever wanted. Now that he thought about it, Hank hadn't seen him smile like that in a very long time. 

 

Malcolm however, seemed to ignore the fact that Connor was indeed not a human. Hank hated that for the young android, Connor was struggling enough with his identity as it was. Having a boyfriend who refused to acknowledge what he was had to be a struggle if not downright damaging to his mind and self-image. 

 

Hank looked over to the deviant at his side. Connor was entranced in his work, the files zooming around the screen, much faster than Hank would ever be able to do himself. Connor was concentrated and focused only on the work in front of him, completely unaware to the world around him or the way Hank was staring into the side of his head. 

 

The android deserved so much more than the world could give him. More than that man could give him, more than Hank could give him. The world was mean and scary and awful, but Connor was so sweet and innocent. The world didn't deserve someone like Connor, someone so sweet and giving. Hank knew Connor definitely deserved more than whatever Malcolm was giving him. It made him so sad to know that Connor wasn't as happy as he could possibly be. 

 

He deserved so much better. 


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the shift and the next few days continue normally. Connor was happy, but still not as happy as he used to be. It tugged at Hank's heart to know Connor is less happy now than he was when he was single. The android seemed content, but not ecstatic about anything. 

 

The two were currently examining a crime scene. This particular crime took place in a nice suburban townhouse, surrounded by similar looking houses and what seemed to be friendly neighbors. The victim was a female android who had been beaten to death by her abusive human partner. From inside the front foyer of the house, Hank could look out the open door to see what Reed was up to. 

 

The aggressor was currently locked up in the back of Reed’s car, yelling and screaming at the grumpy detective. 

 

“Shut the fuck up already! Don't beat people to death and you wouldn't be in there!!” Gavin yelled through the window at the suspect who was now smashing his face against the window. Whether he was trying to break it, or whether he was trying to render himself unconscious was unknown. However, it seemed as he was unable to handle enough pain to do anything useful.

 

“Fucking quit it! You're gonna break my goddamn window!”

 

Hank turned away from the amusing sight with a chuckle rising in his chest. He looked back to his android friend, kneeling on the hardwood floor and looking at the victim's body. Connor lifted the white sheet that had been laid out of respect for the android. Hank almost wanted to gag at the image before him. 

 

The poor woman's neck had dark blue bruises sounding it. Hank knew that whatever had been wrapped around her neck, hands by the looks of it must have cracked the frame beneath her synthetic skin, causing blood to leave out of the cracks and create a very human-looking bruise. Similar marks were scattered across her whole body, taking the form of fingers and handprints where he must have grabbed and hit her. 

 

“Cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head, causing her to malfunction. She was unable to cool her body off as her core temperature continued to rise. Many bruises on her synthetic skin in various stages of healing show prolonged abuse. Along with the bruises, there are non-fatal slashes along her back. I can confirm that they were created by a common kitchen knife.”

 

When Hank looked closer, he saw that Connor’s hands were shaking rapidly. It reminded him of his own hands when Connor first helped him to kick his alcohol addiction. His voice was quiet and not as confident as he usually was. It almost seemed like the android was...scared? Connor couldn’t take his eyes off of the face of the dead deviant. He was almost in some form of a trace, the body holding his attention. 

 

Connor’s eyes softened to the point where Hank thought he was about to cry. He leaned down to the ground crouching beside his friend. Hank placed a large hand on the android’s shoulder, causing the android to jump and turn his head over to the lieutenant at his side. 

 

“Are you alright Con?” Connor’s gaze strayed back to the body, as he nodded his head.

 

“Y-Yes, I just wish she hadn't had to pass in such a brutal fashion. I wish she had been able to leave him,” Connor’s voice was heavy with sadness as he thought about the abused woman. Hank couldn't help see the irony of the situation: Connor, who may potentially be in an abusive relationship, had to take apart the crime scene in which another android had been killed in an abusive relationship. 

 

Hank didn't think that Connor was being hit; it takes a real monster to hit a loved one, and Hank didn't want to think that Connor would be with a person like that. Malcolm was just very controlling, as far as Hank knew, and he hoped to go that it never got any worse than that. He knew this was something that Connor was going to have to figure out on his own, even though he wanted to scoop the android off his feet and save him from the controlling man. 

 

“Well Con, sometimes people have nowhere else to go. No friends or family to turn to and ask for protection. One of the most important things you can do for someone in that situation is to be there for them, and give them somewhere to go.”

 

Hank winked to the android, hoping that he got the message that he was implying. The android looked back to Hank with a small smile on his lips, and his brow still furrowed. Connor stood slowly, offering a hand to Hank to help pull the man to his feet. With both of them standing, Connor retracted his hand a lot faster than Hank would have wished 

 

“Thanks, Hank.”

 

“No problem, Con. You done here?”

 

“Yes, I just need to probe her memories to get an exact play by play of what happened,” Connor was in the middle of leaning down to reach the arm of the downed android, his white frame already exposed. Hank grabbed onto Connor’s shoulder, holding the android in place before he was able to reach the woman's arm. 

 

“Uh… Why don't you just let someone else do that and we can check it out later,” Hank knew that interfacing and memory probing was a very intimate android activity, the most intimate they could get with one another. It was a very personal act, and Hank didn't like the idea of Connor getting flooded with all of those horrible memories. 

 

Connor looked concerned for a second, which Hank understood. This is what he was designed to do, take apart crimes, interrogate suspects and interview victims. Since he was unable to interview this particular victim, probing her memory was the only thing that made sense.

 

Connors' eyes softened and he stood straight once again. While it was his job to complete his detective work and everything that came with it, Hank was his superior and it was his job to follow the lieutenant’s orders. Connor nodded to the man, and together, they made their way to the car so they could return to the precinct. 

 

One they sat down in Hank’s old vehicle, Hank started it up and pulled out of the parking lot. He turned to Connor, his LED was blinking a bright yellow, he looked lost in thought and Hank fingered he was probably getting a start on filing the report. He reached over and placed an open palm on Connor’s shoulder. The android flinched, which Hank found peculiar. Connor had never flinched when he touched him; he let that go for the time being. 

 

“You did a really great job today, Con.”

 

There it was, that smile. Connor’s face lit up at the sound of Hank’s voice. His smile was wide and his LED was flashing a light blue. 

 

“Thank you, Hank,” Connor said sincerely. He turned his head straight, allowing his eyes to look out of the windshield. Hank looked back and noticed something. It was odd, Connor loved to be praised and told he did a good job. His eyes always shined so brightly and his smile could light up anyone's night. This time, however, the smile didn't quite meet his eyes. Something was bothering him, making him sad. Upsetting him to the point where even Hank’s praise couldn't brighten his mood. 

 

Something was very wrong here.  

 

By the time that the two of them got back to the office, they only had about an hour left of their shift. They went about their normal procedure after they attended a crime scene. Connor started filing the report and Gavin interviewed the suspect, and for once his hot-tempered attitude could be of some use. The lieutenant oversaw the interrogation, making sure Gavin didn’t go too hard to the point where he ruined anything they could possibly use.

 

It only took about half an hour for Gavin to get too heated, in which he needed to take a break. Hank sauntered back to his desk, slumping down into his chair and letting out a loud sigh. Connor’s LED changed from yellow to blue as he finished with the report and sent it to Fowler’s terminal to be reviewed before it was considered completed. 

 

The android turned to the exacerbated detective and found it easier to ignore the constant vibrating in his desk once again. It only began thirty seconds ago, he could ignore it for a while. 

 

Hank was once again looking at Connor with his arched eyebrows and a knowing look in his eyes. Connor rolled his eyes, he knew Hank was just worried for him. But he was fine, he could take care of himself. 

 

“That's not normal Con, he should not be texting you every few seconds, especially when you're at work,” 

 

“He just loves me, Hank, he wants to talk but I’m working. He misses me.” 

 

Hank shook his head. Sure, he understood missing your partner when they were at work, he was in fact married at one point. However, that is absolutely no reason for Malcolm to be messaging Connor as much as he does, it was pretty creepy. 

 

Connor stood from his chair and walked around it, heading towards Fowler’s office. With a quick look at the time, Hank noticed that it was about the time that they should be getting ready to leave. As per the routine, Connor headed to the captain’s office to let him know that he was about to check out for the day. On his way back, Connor crossed in front of Hank’s desk. The old man reached a hand out to wrap around the androids wrist. 

 

“I’m sorry, Con. I just worry you know? I want to make sure you're safe and happy. I didn't mean to assume anything,” Connor paused for a moment, his face neutral. Then his lips tipped up into a smile, that sweet little smile that Hank loved to see grace his features. It wasn’t a big smile or an over-excited one, just content and grateful type of smile. Hank thought it looked good on him, well any type of smile on Connor looked god. There was no reason on this entire earth that Connor should not be happy every single day. 

 

“I appreciate it, Hank, I assure you I am in control of the situation,” Hank smiled. The man doubted that was true but, if Connor was confident, then so was he. Hank stood from his chair to be eye to eye with the android. He was still a couple of inches taller than the android, but that was fine. 

 

He used one of his arms to wrap around the back of Connor’s neck. He pulled the android to his chest into a tight warm friendly hug. He felt Connor’s arms wrap around his back and hug him back as well. Hank could feel Connor lean his head against his shoulder and heard the little hum that the android let out. A comforting noise. 

 

Hank never thought he would get to hold Connor like this. He could feel the beat of the android’s thirium pump on his own chest. The man had no idea that it would be such a comforting feeling. He liked that not only did he know in his mind that Connor was alive and breathing, but he could actually feel it too. 

 

Hank would be lying if he said that he had never imagined what this would feel like. He had thought about holding Connor more times than he could attempt to count. He had tried to clear that out from his mind as of late, just out of respect for Connor’s relationship, but it really was a struggle. 

 

This particular feeling reminded him of his first serious crush back when he was a teenager. Back then, Hank was having some serious thoughts about having relationships with men. Out of fear of his parent's reaction, he covered up how he was feeling and started dating women, hoping the way he felt towards men would pass with time, maybe it was just a phase. 

 

His first, and only, crush on a girl was in his first year of high school. She was the first person he ever had a serious crush on. It made him feel like he was on top of the world and light as air. Connor made him feel very similar, but with Connor, he felt as if he could actually see himself marrying Connor and spending the rest of his life with the android. 

 

Hank tried to put the way he felt into words, but every time he attempted, it just came out as a jumbled mess. When Hank found out that Connor had gotten a boyfriend, it absolutely broke his heart. He wanted Connor to be happy but wanted him to be happy with Hank. But, if this was the only way that Connor would be happy and content in life, then he was happy too. 

 

Hank had worked so hard on controlling these feelings, but with one hug, they all come flowing back. He couldn't help but want Connor in a way that he couldn't. He wanted to cuddle with the Android make him feel special. However, some things just weren't meant to be. Before Hank really got appreciate the moment, he heard yelling from around the corner. 

 

“Sir! You can't go back there, civilians are not allowed back there!” Hank recognized the voice of one of the female receptionist androids. She had been with them before the revolution. However, she had expressed that she enjoyed the atmosphere of the precinct and would like to keep her job. Of course, Fowler agreed. The man had allowed back all androids who wanted to stay there. 

 

“I don’t give a fuck about where civilians are allowed to go!” Hank also knew that voice. He felt the android tense in his arms and Hank held onto him tighter. The voice was getting louder as the man got closer, spewing curse words and insults to the receptionist. Connor slowly turned his head to look behind them at the chaos that was rushing into the area. 

 

Malcolm stared wide-eyed at the two of them, and that's when Hank realized he was still embracing the android to his chest. This was bad. Very bad. Connor’s very possessive and controlling boyfriend was staring daggers at them from across the bullpen, staring at another man embracing his boyfriend. The receptionist was still behind him, trying to tell him that he had to leave, but keeping a safe distance away in case the man was to lash out. 

 

Hank let his arms loosen around the android against his chest. To his surprise, however, Connor didn't move, only clutched his jacket tighter. Hank was shocked, he expected Connor to let go quickly, as to hopefully lessen the anger that Malcolm was already showing. 

 

Hank looked down to the android, specifically his face. Connor’s features were almost frozen, no real emotion showed on his face. The android’s eyes were locked onto the angry man across the room as he looked over his shoulder. Most people wouldn't be able to tell, but since Hank had been such good friends with Connor for so long, he could easily see the fear that lurked in those soulful brown eyes. 

 

Hank’s stomach twisted. Connor shouldn't be afraid, he should not feel as if he is in danger. Hank wanted to pick him up and run to go hide in one of the interrogation room, but he knew he couldn't do that. You can't just hide when things got hard. 

 

But oh, how he wanted to. Hank was never the type of person to run away from a fight, he always stood his ground to protect what was his. However, when it came to Connor, he wanted nothing more than to take the android away and hide him from the rest of the world, but that wouldn't solve their problems. Most likely, it would only make them worse. 

 

Connor’s LED was a solid dark red, it would blink occasionally but for the most part, it was just red. Connor felt like he was in danger and that only made Hank angry. Connor couldn't control how he felt and for the most part, couldn't control the color of his LED, especially not in a time of distress. It was helpful to have such an outward, physical reaction to Connor’s emotions, Hank loved that cute little light. 

 

Everyone in the room seemed frozen and Hank didn't know what to do. He slowly moved one hand to Connor’s back. He began to rub his hand up and down the covered skin, trying to comfort the obviously distressed android. To his amazement, as he began to rub his back in a comforting manner, Connor’s LED flashes from the strong red color to a much for preferable yellow. Hank looked down in awe, he had never seen Connor’s LED have such a strong reaction to something the man had done. Connor no longer felt like he was in immediate danger.

 

Hank was about to say something to try to help calm the deviant’s nerves further when the chaos across the room started again. Malcolm stalked his way across the office, the receptionist choosing to stay behind. Hank figured she feared for her safety, and he didn't blame her. Hank clutched the android tighter as he saw Connor’s LED flash to red quickly. His face was still unreadable, no emotion showing, but his LED was enough to get the point across. 

 

When Malcolm was close enough, he reached out and wrapped one of his hands roughly around Connor’s forearm and tugged him away from Hank’s hold. The man twisted the android’s arm in a way that looked quite painful and he could read it on the android’s face. Hank was about to reach back out for the Android and shout his fair share of slurs but stopped when he saw the look on the android’s face. 

 

His eyes were soft and his eyebrows were furrowed downward. He gave Hank a pleading look as he was dragged to the side. Hank was conflicted once again. He wanted to stop Malcolm from doing anything that could cause distress to his best friend. By the looks of things, he was already hurting the android if the flashing red LED was anything to go by. 

 

Hank felt his heart swell at the thought. Connor was obviously distressed and scared, but he still did his best to make Hank feel better, he was still trying to calm Hank down when he obviously felt unsafe about the situation. Hank wanted to talk to him, to tell him he was going to be okay. However, now did not seem like a good time. 

 

Malcolm turned his back to pull the android into a more secluded area of the office, and Hank now realized that everyone in the room was looking at them. Connor was still looking at him, a soft but concerned smile on his face. ‘It’s okay,’ He mouthed over to the detective, but Hank knew it was a lie. 

 

The angry man roughly tugged Connor over into an interview room and closed the door with a loud slam. Hank was worried, he couldn't see or hear anything going on behind the door. Malcolm could be doing anything, he could be screaming at the Android or maybe even hitting him. The thought made Hank cringe; Connor could be getting attacked less than ten feet away from him and the old man was doing nothing about it. 

 

Hank took a step towards the room, about to knock down the door, when he felt a large hand land down on his shoulder. He looked to his side and saw Fowler who was looking forward to the interview room door. 

 

“What the fuck is going on?” The man asked slowly. Hank let out a large sigh. They had talked in confidence many times about the situation the android was in. Hank and Fowler had gotten a lot closer since the revolution, Hank even considered him to be a good friend of his. 

 

He had gone to Fowler when he started having suspicions about the relationship that Connor was in. The captain had told him many times, that Connor was okay and that he was strong enough to handle things on his own. He had told Hank that he didn't think Connor was being abused, or that their relationship was in any way abusive. Hank knew that his opinion would change after today. 

 

“Malcolm,” Hank said just barely above a whisper, concern heavy in his voice. He stared longingly at the closed door of the interview room, wishing he could see inside the solid walls. Hank turned his head to the dark-skinned man at his side, a soft scowl on his features. 

 

“So, Jeffrey, he’s fine, right? No need to worry, right?” Hand snarled at his superior sarcastically. The captain's eyes widened at the harsh tone that came out of Hank’s mouth. Fowler turned to look at Hank directly, grabbing his full attention. 

 

“Hank...I’m sorry, you were right. There may be something worth looking into here, but that doesn't mean we can assume the worse. It's just a lovers’ quarrel.”

 

“Lovers my fuckin ass,” Hank said as he looked back at the door. He was still for a moment, listening as Jeffrey made his way back to his office. 

 

Suddenly the door opened again and Malcolm came darting out of the room with Connor slowly following behind. The android looked sad and Hank could have sworn that he saw tear stains on the side of the android’s face. Hank felt his face grow warm with anger and he was thankful that Malcolm was heading towards the front of the office, he wouldn't be able to contain himself if he got close enough. 

 

Connor made his way towards his desk. He passed by Hank with his head held down in what Hank could guess was shame or embarrassment. He quickly passed the man and walked to his desk and started to gather the remainder of his belongings. 

 

Hank stepped over to Connor’s desk, laying his hands on the cool surface as he leaned forward to try to meet his eyes with Connor’s. He watched as the android grabbed his keys and phone with shaking hands. 

 

“Connor-” Hank said with a devastated sigh. The android lifted his head and Hank tried to make eye contact with him. He noticed that he was not looking him in the eyes and was actually looking back Hank altogether. Hank looked over his shoulder and saw that Malcolm had not actually left the office. 

 

He was standing near the entrance with his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently. He had a scowl on his face and Hank thought that he actually looks quite scary and intimidating. He looked back to the android in front of him and noticed that Connor’s LED was flashing a quickly blinking red. 

 

Hank brought one of his hands across the table and gently placed it on top of Connor’s hand, which was in the midst of picking up the phone. Connor’s head shot down their touching skin on the table. Hank was pleased to see that his LED changed from flashing red to flashing yellow, Connor felt safer. 

 

Hank could feel the android’s hand as it quaked and shook, even where it was held between the desk and Hank’s own hand. Even with Hank to comfort him and to hold his hand down, the android was still shaking. Connor’s skin was freezing cold. An android’s skin was usually quite warm, very different from how Connor’s skin felt now.

 

Connor looked back up to the figure across the room and ripped his hand out of the older man’s out of fear. His LED flashes red again, revealing how scared he was, just because of the man's presence on the other side of the room. Hank’s heart ached, he hated seeing Connor so afraid. 

 

Connor quickly rushed away from the desk and from Hank's gaze, towards the predator waiting across the bullpen. Hank looked on in horror as he watched his very best friend leave his arms and rush into the arms of his potential abuser. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, Hank stumbled into the precinct, drowsy and irritated. He had spent the whole night thinking about Connor. Which wasn’t unusual, however, this time it was more worried thoughts than thoughts about things that would never happen. He wanted to call the android so he could check up on him, but he also didn't want to get him in trouble and make his situation with Malcolm any more dangerous. 

 

Hank had decided that today, he was going to have a serious talk with Connor. Hank was absolutely positive at this point that Connor was being abused. Even if it wasn't necessarily physical, Hank knew at this point that with everything he had seen for himself so far, it was definitely abuse. 

 

Strangely enough, when Hank was in clear view of his desk, he saw that Connor was not at his desk as he should have been. Hank quickly took a look at the clock on the far wall and noticed that his partner should have been here twenty minutes ago. 

 

Before he got a chance to ask anyone if they had seen Connor that morning, he heard Fowler call him from the glass office door. 

 

“Anderson! A word please,” Hank turned and made his way through the open door. Once he was seated in the small chair across from the larger desk, Fowler closed the door tightly, making his way behind his desk and sitting in the much more comfortable chair. The captain folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward slightly. He kept his eyes on Hank but didn't say anything. 

 

Hanks' eyes strayed around the room trying to find something to keep his attention. He disliked the feeling of Fowler staring at him, especially as intensely as he was. His eyes kept looking over to his and Connor’s desks. The android still was nowhere to be seen. He turned back to the dark-skinned man, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. 

 

“What is it, Jeffrey?” Hank as gruffly, frustration getting the better of him. 

 

“Have you seen Connor this morning, Lieutenant?” Hanks brow furrowed at the question. How was he supposed to have seen the android? As soon as he entered the bullpen, Fowler had called him into the office. Even the captain could even see that Connor wasn't in the office, either. 

 

Hank’s stomach suddenly twisted. Was Connor late because he had been injured? Is that what Fowler was about to tell him? Hank didn't know what he would do if something had happened to the younger being. Connor was all he had to live for at this point, besides Sumo of course. 

 

Connor had given him a whole new meaning to life. Now he had someone to take care of and teach about humanity and what it was like to be alive. Connor needed him. Needed his guidance and his held to get through everyday life. The android still didn't understand many things that humans were accustomed too. Such as sarcasm and certain expressions. 

 

Connor still needed help with developing his emotions and learning how to express them correctly. Hank still wanted to teach him all about the holidays that he didn’t necessarily experience. He wanted to show Connor how good life can be, and teach him how to deal with the good days and bad days. He wanted Connor to get a pet, so he can experience the joy and loyalty of a dog. 

 

“No… I haven’t, why?” Hank asked cautiously, unable to stop the worry from lacing his voice. 

 

Fowler looked uncomfortable as his eyes now traveled the room, trying to find the words to say. Every second that ticked by only aggravated the lieutenant. He was worried,  _ extremely worried; _ what was wrong with his best friend? Why was Fowler taking so long to tell him anything? 

 

Hank couldn't take it. 

 

“What's going on Jeffery? Get the fuck on with it!” The captain's face was unreadable, even with all of his detective training, he couldn't quite tell what emotion Fowler was dealing with. Being a detective and then the captain of a while precinct, Fowler had to learn to hide his emotions. With a loud sigh, Fowler leaned forward and met Hanks' eyes. 

 

“Connor came in early this morning and asked me for a partner re-assignment.”

 

Hank’s heart  _ stopped.  _ Connor didn't want to be his partner anymore? Had he made the android angry or uncomfortable? Was Hank getting too involved in his relationship yesterday and that was the last straw for the android? 

 

Hank thought back to all the times where he may have made the android mad or intruded too deeply. Those times where he would be frustrated from the day and would end up yelling at the android, causing his LED to turn a started red. Hank would always feel guilty and would spend the next ten minutes apologizing for his rage. 

 

He thought back to when he had yelled at the android while they are at a crime scene. He didn't feel as if Connor was going fast enough and he just wanted to go back to the office so he could get off of his aching feet. Eventually, Hank gets tired of waiting and left Connor at the scene, leaving him there to finish up. Later, Hank found out that Connor ended up having to go to a facility to get repaired after he was attacked by the suspect who had been hiding, and waited until Connor was alone to attack. 

 

Hank was so angry with himself for leaving Connor alone. If he had been there, Connor wouldn't have gotten hurt, if Hank hadn't been so much of a baby, Connor wouldn't have gotten stabbed in the back. Hank had taken off the next few days being Connors servant and doing anything the android needed. Connor had told him that it was completely unnecessary. He was fully healed after a few hours, but Hank still felt indebted to him, it was his fault. 

 

Now, most recently, Hank had repeatedly told Connor how much he disliked his boyfriend. He told Connor how the things that Malcolm was doing were wrong. As he thought about it, he considered how that must have felt: your best friend telling you that they didn't like your boyfriend and that he was a horrible guy. Connor had just gotten free will, he wanted to make life decisions for himself. 

 

Was that enough to make Connor not want to be his partner anymore? Was that enough to make the android give up on their friendship? Connor never gives up on anything, especially people and relationships. Hell, he even kept bothering Gavin until the two became friends. 

 

No, something was wrong here. 

 

“I don't think this is entirely his idea Hank, I think we both know who is really behind it.” 

 

Hank thought about it. Malcolm wanted Connor away from him? Had Hank made the man that insecure about his hold on Connor? 

 

Hank was glad that the man felt threatened by him, up until now that is. He didn't want Connor to be taken away from him. Even if he didn't have any type of feelings for the android, which he cannot deny that he did, Connor was still his best friend. He liked him and he liked being with him even just on a friendly level. Connor was so happy that it made Hank happy and that was difficult to do nowadays. 

 

Hank nodded along to what the captain had said, making sure that the man understood that he agreed. Hank felt his body temperature start to rise, he was so angry that Malcolm was trying to take full control of Connor's life. It was almost like Connor was back to a machine, being controlled solely by Malcolm. 

 

The other man let out a large sigh. “Hank, you're his best friend, I really need you to talk to him and set him straight,” He started, “This is going to get dangerous and I don't want to be investigating any crime that has to do with my first android detective, especially a domestic violence case. You know as well as I do that Connor is very important to many people, especially here at the precinct.” 

 

Fowler stood and motioned for Hank to do the same. Fowler laid a heavy hand on the lieutenant’s shoulder and led him to the door. He opened it and gently pushed Hank out of the room. Hank noticed that Connor was now sitting at his desk, but something was different. 

 

Opposed to his always perfect posture, with his back perfectly tight and his neck much the same, Connor was slouched in his chair with his head hung low. The android wasn't even attempting to start his work which was very unlike the android who always wanted to get a head start on his work. Hank couldn't even see his eyes, but he knew they must be filed with sorrow or some other type of emotion if the way he was acting was anything to go by. The android’s arms were uncharacteristically crossed over his chest so it almost looked like he was pouting. 

 

Hank turned back to Fowler and saw that he also kept his eyes on the deviant across the room. Something suddenly struck Hanks thoughts. Fowler usually never cared too much about his personal life. As long as he could get the job done, he was fine. Why did Fowler care so much about this particular situation?

 

Hank knew that everyone had a particular soft spot for the android, but not to this point. Hank figured that Connor must have said something to him this morning that really set off the captain. Hank wondered what Connor must have said to make the captain so sympathetic and on edge. He was about to ask when Fowler interrupted him. 

 

“I am trusting you to figure this out, Hank. He is naive and innocent to his own situation. I fear things have escalated to what we were worried about. Connor is a very important part of this team, and if he is in a situation where he cannot save himself, then you are going have to step up and save him yourself.” 

 

The captain was looking at him so intensely that Hank would have been intimidated if it were a different situation they were talking about. Just the fact that the captain was laying such an important job on his shoulders and trusting him with the absolute well being of his best friend. 

 

Hank nodded to his superior and stepped down the three steps to the floor and was about to walk over to his desk when he heard Fowler speak quietly. 

 

“I’m giving you and him today and tomorrow off to give you time to sort this out. I hope you can talk some sense into him Hank...I’m not sure he’ll make it much longer without your guidance.”

 

Thank  _ really  _ scared Hank, making the lieutenant only quicken his pace to the android. When the captain showed fear and worry, that meant Hank definitely had a reason to, as well. He bypassed his desk without a second thought and stood right in front of the android. He knew Connor was aware of his presence as his LED changed to a soft yellow, trying to take in the new information from the human. 

 

Hank waited for Connor to look at him. He could see that the android’s hair was quite messy, very different from his usually well-kept and tame style. He also noticed that Connor wasn't wearing his jacket, the smooth fabric was laid against the back of the chair, leaving Connor in only his dress shirt. 

 

“So… um… a new partner, yeah?” As soon as the words left his mouth, Connor’s LED flashed a deep dark red and his body physically flinched back away from Hank. Connor’s hands unfolded as he placed them on his thighs. Even though they gripped the android’s legs, Hank could tell they were shaking.

 

“Hey, hey it's alright, I’m not mad or anything, I think we just need to talk about it a bit, find out what's going on ya know?” Hank kneeled down on his knees, trying to make himself as less threatening as possible. He could tell that Connor’s LED was still flashing intensely; Hank didn't want to scare him, he just wanted to talk. From this position, Hank still couldn't look into Connor’s eyes because of how far he had bowed his head down along with the shadows cast on his face and it bothered him. He wanted to have a meaningful talk with the Android and he just felt like that wasn't possible without Connor looking at him

 

“Con, please look at me. Fowler gave us a few days off so we can talk. We can go to my house, hang out with Sumo and just relax, you know? Like we used to. Sumo misses you, he really does. I think it'll be good for both of us.” 

 

Connor still remained unresponsive and quiet, not moving to look at Hank or acknowledge the offer. Hank was tired of waiting, he wanted to get to work on helping Connor out of the dangerous situation he had gotten himself into. Hank stood from the floor and gently ran this hand through the android’s hair, trying to comfort him. Hank could see Connor’s LED change back to a soft yellow. 

 

Hank trailed his hand down Connor’s face until he was able to get a finger under the android chin. He slowly lifted up the android’s head, thankfully feeling no resistance from him. Slowly but surely, Connor’s head slowly raised up until his eyes met Hanks. The second Hank saw Connor’s eyes, he wanted to cry. 

 

It was his worst nightmare.

 

Connor’s face had a large blue handprint across one cheek. You could see every finger mark easily, a bright, blue hue against the otherwise pale skin. The area around his eyes was a dark thirium blue as if he had been punched repeatedly in the same spot. One of Connor’s eyes were blue where the white of his eyes should be, almost as if his blood had drained into the eyes, creating a scary contrast to the brown of his iris. 

 

Connor had tears streaming out of both eyes. The left eye had regular transparent tears that trailed down his face and was currently sitting at his mid cheek. The right eye, which is where all the damage had been located, was leaking dark blue-stained tears. They left behind blue tracks and Hank could see a small puddle on the android’s pants where the blue tears had fallen down his face and landed on the material. 

 

Connor looked so sad, and it made Hank want to break down. 

 

“C-Con?” Hank couldn't hold back anymore; he fell down to his knees and grabbed the small garbage can beside Connor’s desk and threw up a small amount of vomit into the can. He was thankful that there were so few people in the office to hear him. He felt the android’s hand on his back rubbing soothing circles there for comfort. Hank looked over his shoulder to see that Connor had attempted to wipe his tears away, only smearing his own blood around his face. 

 

Hank couldn't take his eyes off of the damaged android. It was such a shock to the system to see the strongest and best fighter he has ever seen so hurt. He doesn't even understand how someone could stomach the thought of hurting the android. He just looked so innocent and sweet, like he had never hurt a fly. It would be like hitting a child.  

 

Hank hated himself for waiting so long. It was obvious how these marks had happened. Hank didn't even think it was possible for android to bruise but he was glad they did at this very moment. He wouldn't have seen the damage otherwise, and he was positive that Connor wouldn't have told him. It hurt the man to see how hurt his best friend was. He was supposed to protect the android, he allowed this to happen through his own negligence. 

 

He reached up from where he had kneeled on the floor. He gently let his fingers brush across the blue skin on Connor’s cheek. The android flinched as soon as Hank’s skin came into contact with his own, his LED pulsing a slow red. So not only was his skin marked with a bruise, which Hank didn't even know could happen, but it also  _ hurt  _ him. Even after the initial impact, he was still sore and in pain. The thought made Hanks stomach twist again, to the point where he thought he was going to vomit again. 

 

The man quickly shot back up to his feet, causing Connor’s head to snap up as well. Hank gently wrapped his arm around Connor’s bicep, pulling the android up. Hank could see the LED flashing yellow, Connor was confused or he was trying to analyze something, maybe considering where Hank planned to go.

 

He didn’t give the android enough time to ask any questions though. He began walking at a brisk pace towards one of the interview rooms, gently tugging the Android along with him.

Once he was at the door, he placed his hand on the panel to unlock the door, being a lieutenant he was given unlimited access to every room in the precinct. After the door was opened, he shoved the android into the room and made sure no one was looking when he walked in himself, closing and locking the door. 

 

He turned to look at the android in the middle of the room as he leaned back against the door and crossed his arms over his chest. When he made eye contact with the android, he couldn't stop himself from wincing at the damage that had been done to him. It hurt him to see that Connor was hurt. 

 

They sat for a moment in silence, both expecting the other to say something. After two minutes of nothing being said, Hank let out a large sigh and let his eyes fall to the floor. He racked his brain for a moment, trying to find the correct words to say. He didn’t want to be mean, but he also didn’t want to be too soft so that Connor knew this was definitely not okay. In the end, he kept drawing a blank and just decided to go with what his gut was telling him. 

 

“What the fuck, Connor?” He asked, making sure not to put too much force into his words so that he didn’t scare the android. 

 

‘I f-fell,” Connor stuttered, eyes quickly shifting to the floor. Hank was amazed and he was sure his face showed it if Connors blinking red LED was anything to go by. The android knew Hank didn’t believe him, he didn’t even have to look at Hank to know it, Hank would never believe an excuse like that, he was a detective after all.

 

Was Connor really going to try to lie to him when the marks on his face obviously showed a hand across his cheeks? There was no denying that someone had hit him and Hank knew exactly what that someone was. Why was Connor still trying to protect someone who had done this to him? Hank shook his head at the android, raising his eyes to meet Connor’s.

 

“Are you serious Connor? I can see a fucking handprint on your face! He hit you, don't lie to me!” Hank felt bad for shouting but it seemed as if that was the only way to get Connor to listen. The android across the room wrapped his arms around himself, trying to comfort himself. 

 

Hank pushed himself off the door and crossed the room to stand in front of the android. He brought Connor into his chest, using his own arms to still the shaking body. He rubbed his arms up and down Connor’s back and waited until he calmed down. When Connor’s LED changed to yellow and his body went still, Hank pulled back on his shoulders so he could face him. The man let his hands fall from the small shoulders and took a step back as to not crowd into Connor’s space. 

 

“Connor… you have to get away from him,” 

 

Connor’s head shot up and looked at Hank with wide eyes. “N-No! It was just a o-one time t-thing… it was an a-accident, he was m-m-mad! I  _ made _ h-him mad! It w-wont happen again H-H-Hank, I swear!!” Connor was shaking again, getting all wound up at the thought of leaving the abusive man that he had become so attached to. 

 

“Connor! If he did it once he's going to do it again!! Do you remember that woman we investigated just yesterday?! I bet she thought the same thing!” Hank started approaching the android again, waving his hands around in angrily. Connor started to back up until he was up against the wall with Hank only about a foot away from him. “If you don't leave him that could be you! I will have to investigate your death like we had to investigate hers!”

 

“He l-l-loves m-me!!” Connor yelled. 

 

Hank realized how scared he looked and always wanted to hug him again, but he had to get his point across, this was life or death now. Hank reached out and used his hand to hold Connors' face. He was careful to avoid the bruises but to keep a firm grip on his chin. He moved Connors head to the left slightly so he could see the bruises that littered Connor’s face.

 

“THIS IS NOT LOVE!” Hank yelled with heavy authority in his voice and he was glad that the interview room walls were all soundproof. 

 

His face was so close to Conor’s that he could see the blood swirling around in his eyes as a blue teardrop fell. He felt Connor’s hands weakly come up to his wrist and start frantically pulling on his sleeve. He looked up slightly and notice that Connor’s LED was flashing red so fast.   eyes met Connor’s; the android's eyes were dilated, the black of his pupil almost completely took over the whole eye, leaving only a ring of his brown iris towards the edges. 

 

_ Connor was scared, scared of Hank.  _

 

Hank immediately tore his hand back away from Connor’s chin, listening as the android breathed shaking breaths, trying to cool his overheated systems. It sounded like the android was hyperventilating. Hank wanted to throw up; Connor was so scared and it was Hank’s fault. 

 

Did Connor think that Hank was going to… hit him?

 

When Hank backed a couple of feet away, his hands shaking. Connor slid down to the floor, his  _ whole body _ shaking. He brought his knees up to his chest and rested his head on them, keeping his arms trapped between his knees and his chest. It was almost as if he was trying to make himself as small as possible. Hank could hear him letting out little whimpers and that only made his heart shatter more.

 

Hank would  _ never, ever _ lay a violent hand on him. Connor was his best friend, and he knew that. Hank had never hit someone unless he was defending himself, he had his fair share of rough bar fights and violent criminals who swung at him. Usually, he would just hit them once to subdue them and then restrain them. 

 

But this was so much different. Connor was on the floor, cowering in fear. Every noise in the room made him flinch and cry a bit harder. Connor was the last person he ever wanted to see like this. Connor was so  _ scared  _ and it hurts him, he wanted to be the one to come and save Connor from his abuser, rescue him. 

 

Now, Connor was scared of  _ him _ , as if Hank was going to become the abuser. That would never happen. Hank loved Connor, despite whether he should because of Connor’s loyalty to another man, but he does. Hank loves Connor with all of his heart, he loves everything about the Android and seeing him like this was devastating.

 

“Connor…” Hank whispered. He kneeled down in front of the android and almost broke down into tears as he tried to back up farther into the wall, trying to hide or get away from him. Hank slowly reached his hand out, trying to make sure Connor could see his hand before it made contact. However, the android’s head was so far buried in his knees that he couldn't see anything around him. Hank imagined his eyes were closed anyway. 

 

He continued to move; slowly, he let his fingers gently touch the top of Connor’s head, loving the feeling of the soft curls wrapping around his fingers. Connor flinched back, but Hank was thankful that he didn't try to run or get away from him. He let his fingers started to rub soft circles on the android’s scalp, something he knew he loved. 

 

Hank waited, hoping for a sign that Connor was doing better. He continued to massage the scalp, watching for any distress on the android’s face. Soon enough, the android’s LED switched from a flashing red to a slowly flashing yellow. 

 

Taking that as permission, he leaned forward and used his other arm to pull the android’s body into his. Suddenly, Connor started sobbing, heavy sobs into Hank’s chest. The man wrapped his arms around his partner, rubbing his hand up and down the android’s back while shushing his cries. Connor’s sobs wracked his body and he clutched onto Hank’s jacket, trying to get closer even though it was physically impossible.

 

Hank was shocked, the android went from being almost shocked and frozen, to having an emotional breakdown in less than four seconds. There wasn't much Hank could do at that moment, besides hold his friend close and try to calm his cries. Thankfully, the android’s LED was still slowly flashing yellow, he wasn't scared and didn't feel as if he was in danger, which Hank was happy about. 

 

Hank never wanted the android to be scared or feel unsafe around him. He wanted Connor to know that he could go to him for anything and tell him whatever he needed to. He wanted to just take Connor home and make sure no one would touch him like that ever again. 

 

Connor’s cries began to calm down and the room got quieter. His body slumped against Hank’s in exhaustion but he didn't complain. He held the android closer to his chest and ran a hand through the brown curls. He leaned down and left a gentle kiss on the top of the android’s head. Looking down, he noticed that Connor’s LED was now a solid yellow. Hank pulled back from the embrace just slightly so he could look into Connor’s eyes, his stomach twisting at the blood smeared around his face from the tears. 

 

“Connor...you know that I would never, ever hurt you, I would never cause you any harm on purpose. You know that right?”  Connor nodded and Hank could practically see the guilt eating up the android from the inside out. 

 

“I...I know, I don’t k-know what h-h-happened I just couldn't help it. I’m s-sorry,” The android whispered, leaning forwards and burying his face back in the older man's chest. Hank rubbed the android’s back while shushing his small cries. 

 

“Don’t ever feel sorry for how you feel, Connor. I know you’re scared, but you don’t have to be sorry for that, I’m here to help you, Connor. I’m going to do whatever it takes to get you into a safer situation,” He felt Connor shake slightly in his arms. He was about to pull the android away from his chest to get a gauge on what he was feeling when he felt Connor nod slightly in his arms. 

 

Connor picked his head up and looked at Hank with a small smile on his lips. 

 

“I’m really l-lucky to have you H-Hank,” Connor was so close to Hank’s face that the older man could feel his breath spread over his mouth. He wanted nothing more than to lean forward and lay a kiss on the android’s lips. He wouldn't do that though, not now, not when he was emotionally compromised like this. Hank didn't want to take advantage of him. 

 

Hank smiled slightly at the android’s bruised face, bringing a hand back up to Connor’s head and rubbing his fingers through the curly locks. Connor closed his eyes and leaned into the comforting touch. It made Hank want to be curl up and cry at the thought that this might be the only kind touch that Connor may have received in the recent weeks. Every other touch being painful, or even scary. 

 

Hank’s smile fell, “You  _ have _ to get away from him Con. I can help you; I will be there for you, whatever you need to get away from him.” 

 

“I k-know. T-Tonight, I will l-leave him tonight.” 

 

Hank was sure his face was about to split in two with the smile he was sporting. Connor was safe, Connor was going to leave him and he was going to be okay. Hank pulled the android into another bone-crushing hug. He was so so happy, it was  _ over _ . He was going to have his best friend back. 

 

He could already see the movie nights and the sleepovers and the cuddles with Connor and Sumo on the couch. It was all becoming so much more clear, he could almost hear Connor’s laughter, loud and happy again. He just wanted the android to be content in life again, and he was going to make sure he got that back. 

 

This new Connor, the scared and timid version of the android, wasn't real. Connor wasn't normally scared, and he didn't usually flinch away from Hank’s touch. The real Connor embraced every touch, he loved when Hank touched him. It wasn't even in an intimate way or anything, Connor just enjoyed the feeling of his skin being touched. From what Hank knew, a lot of the deviants were like that, they enjoyed the sensation of touch. 

 

“Do you want me to go with you? I can help, make sure you're safe.” 

 

Connor shook his head. “I need to do this. I  _ can _ do it, Hank; I will meet you at your house later today. And I promise I will never leave again,” 

 

The last line made Hank shake a little. He was never going to lose Connor again, he wasn't going anywhere. He was going to stay at Hank's house and he would be safe, the man would make sure of it. 

 

But, he was also kind of worried about Connor attempting to do this by himself. What if he got hurt? Really hurt? Hank would never forgive himself. Connor seemed confident that he had to do alone, and that he could do it. Hank had to remember that the android was the most advanced prototype every created, he had better reflexes than a cat, he could take down a full grown man in under two seconds. He was going to be fine. 

 

Hank leaned back even farther and gave Connor a serious look. He pointed his finger directly into the android’s chest. 

 

“You do not let him hurt you. You do not let him hit you. You do not do anything he says. You get in there, get your shit, and get out. Tell him it's over and leave. If you get in trouble or you need help, you call me. I will be there in less than five minutes, I will help you. If you are not at my house by six, I am coming to get you. You better come back to me Con, and you come back to me in one piece.” Hank punctuated each point with his finger poking at Connor’s chest. 

 

Connor smiled, chuckling softly at Hank’s behavior. The android leaned all the way forward, wrapping his arms around the older man's neck and burying his face into it. 

 

“I promise, Hank.” 


	4. Chapter 4

 

Connor walked into his and Malcolm's apartment at about one in the afternoon. He was very thankful that Fowler had given him the day off, he wanted to get this over as soon as possible. 

 

The android thought back to his conversation with Hank in the interview room. He knew that Hank cared for him, but to really see how much Hank wanted him to get better and wanted him to feel safe was...something different. 

 

The android knew he had always had feelings for the older man but he was always afraid that he didn't return them. Now, after having Hank hold him and tell him how much he is cared for, it felt like there was a possibility that Hank felt the same. The way that Hank held him and the way that he calmed his cries was something Connor had never felt before. 

 

Malcolm didn't make him feel safe or cared for. Not in the way Hank did. 

 

Hank always made him feel like no one could harm him, that he would always protect him. And he did. Never in Connor’s short amount of life had anyone ever physically hurt him in front of Hank without the man retaliating. 

 

There was a time when Gavin had pushed him hard enough to send him stumbling to the floor, hitting his head on his desk on the way down. Hank was furious, he launched right at the younger detective. Hank ended up giving him a black eye and a bloody nose by the time he was done with him. That night, Connor went to Hank's house where the lieutenant took care of the gash on his forehead. The android couldn't help but stay up all night on the couch smiling at the ceiling with Sumo weighing down his legs. 

 

Connor thought he would be more upset at the idea of cutting things off with Malcolm, the man was his first boyfriend, after all. However, he only felt relief at the thought that after this he was going to get to go to Hank’s house and he was going to be safe. Not just from Malcolm, but from everything. 

 

He felt bad that he even thought for one second that Hank would hit him. Even when he was all worked up and not thinking straight, there was no possible reason he should be afraid of that. Hank took such great care of him and always did little things to make him feel safe. Hank would  _ never  _ hurt him.

 

Connor was scared about confronting the violent man. He knew that statistically, he could win any fight that Malcolm brought to him. But something about the human-made Connor so absolutely terrified that he was unable to keep a clear head around him, let alone actually protect himself properly. Just the thought of Malcolm made him weaker than it should. 

 

He also knew that he was not physically up to par at the moment, making the odds of winning a fight swing out of his favor. Due to Malcolm’s absolute disdain of the fact that Connor was an android, Malcolm would not let him keep any thirium in the house. His body was using up the thirium to power all of his components. 

 

Usually, after a full cycle, an android would have to top up their thirium so that all of their biocomponents and systems could run properly. Without any new thirium, his body was having to continue to use thirium that was already in his body, without any new sustenance his body was slowly weakening.

 

He knew that he would need new thirium within the next few days or he was going to risk a shutdown. Usually, he would be able to get some thirium from the precinct, but due to his heavy caseload, he was unable to have access to the thirum supply that was usually used for the android receptionists. However, no one really minded when Connor would take some. People just assumed that he wanted to sit with Hank while he was drinking coffee on his break, and wanted something to drink as well. 

 

He made a mental note to make sure he filled up on thirium when he got to Hank’s. The older man always kept a supply at his house, even though Connor hadn't been there for a few weeks. Connor let a small smile grace his features. It made his heart swell to know that Hank cared so much for him that he would keep a supply of the Android equivalent of food at his house. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Malcolm's voice, wiping the smile right off of his face. 

 

“Connor? That you, baby?” He heard from the living room, shaking him out of his thoughts of the older man. At the sound of Malcolm’s voice, the android wanted to turn back out of the apartment and run into Hanks warm arms. He wanted to be held and taken care of. But he had to do this, he had to get away from this man. 

 

Suddenly, Malcolm came from around the corner where the living room was situated. He smiled at Connor and came up to him with arms open wide. Connor flinched as the man wrapped his arm around the android, bringing him into a hug

 

“What are you doing home, Con?” 

 

Sometimes he was like this. He was caring and loving and treated Connor like a king. Whenever he was like this, it made Connor forget completely about what he was like the rest of the time they were together. He was nice and sweet like this maybe ten percent of the time, but the rest of the time, Connor would be hit, humiliated and degraded. 

 

“I'll make you a nice lunch how about that?” Malcolm fired out, giving him no time to answer his other question. Connor almost smiled at that. He knew he couldn't actually eat any lunch, Malcolm knew that, too. For some reason, Malcolm always pretended Connor was human. Well, maybe it was less of pretending, and more just denying the fact of what Connor really was. 

 

Malcolm led Connor to the kitchen, roughly grabbing his arm and dragging him through the hallway to the house. Connor tripped a little on his own feet trying to keep up with the man tugging him around. Connor hadn't even said one word yet and he felt like he was losing. Connor got so weak when Malcolm treated him like this.

 

He just wanted to feel loved and when Malcolm treated him like this, that is exactly what he felt. However, it never took very long for Malcolm to go back to how he normally is. He wished Malcolm was like this all of the time. 

 

The human roughly shoved Connor into one of the kitchen chairs and shuffled over to the counter where he began getting the ingredients to make a sandwich of some sort. Connor felt that his hands were shaking and soon realized that the rest of his body was also. He wanted so much to just get up and leave and not have to actually talk to the man in front of him. 

 

He knew where this was going, too. Malcolm would try to make him eat and Connor would tell him that he was physically unable to eat and then one of two things would happen: Malcolm would either get angry and spend the rest of his night screaming at him, or he would force Connor to eat, causing the android to have to throw it all up, along with a lot of his own thirium. Both situations would end up with him feeling weak and covered in bruises. 

 

Malcolm had never hit him anywhere that he couldn’t hide, just for the sake of covering his tracks. But yesterday was really, really bad. He had gotten so angry that he apparently just couldn't contain himself and landed many bruises to the android’s face. Connor knew that Hank would ask questions, so he had tried to come up with an excuse, although he knew it wasn't a very good one.

 

Malcolm turned around to face Connor instead of the onion he was chopping. He had a large smile on his face until he and Connor made eye contact. It took less than a second for his face to turn down into a scowl. He drove the blade into the cutting board, leaving the knife sticking up out of the wood when he left it. However intimidating that it was, Connor was glad that he didn't bring the knife over with him. 

 

Malcolm slowly walked over to the android, scowl still painting his features. He stood in front of Connor with the small dining room table between them. He slammed one of his hands down on the table, causing the wooden surface to shake. Connor flinched badly, almost toppling over his chair at the same time. 

 

Connor brought his arms up to his chest, something inside of him telling him to protect the delicate area that housed his vital biocomponents. Malcolm leaned forward until he was only about an inch or two from the android’s face. Connor could feel his breath pooling over his face, making him uncomfortably warm. 

 

“What did I tell you about that goddamn fucking light on your face?!” Connor knew what he was talking about, his LED. The man hated the ring of light on the side of his temple, the very sight of it sent him into a rage. Connor figured he hated it because it was such an outward and obvious physical sign that he was an android. He knew that Malcolm hated his biology, and his LED was one of his most-hated features. 

 

Connor’s hand shot up to cover his temple, trying to hide the light that he knew must be shining a vibrant red. He brought a hand into his hair, rustling the curls and forcing them to flop over his forehead. Thankfully, he was able to pull one of his curls down to cover most of the flashing LED. The light pain inflicted due to the tug of hair was nothing compared to what he feared he was going to have to face if he didn’t leave soon. 

 

Once his LED was completely covered by his hair, the man leaned back up again, away from Connor’s face and turned to the counter again. It was now or never. 

 

“I t-think w-w-we should see other p-p-people,” Connor stuttered. 

 

Malcolm’s head snapped over to the Android and Connor was instantly terrified. His face was red with anger and the scowl had once again taken its place on his face. His teeth were bared, and much to Connor’s horror, he had the knife clutched in his fist. Connor wanted to throw up from fear just to calm the buzzing in his stomach. 

 

However, he knew that if it were biologically possible, he would be weakened too much from the loss of blood and would be an easy target for the man across the kitchen. The android thoroughly regretted not having Hank come with him. He cursed himself for letting his pride get in the way of obvious logic. He needed Hank with him, there was no way he would be able to fight his way out of this if it came to that. 

 

He wanted to call the human, let him know that he was scared and that he needed help. However, he knew that if Malcolm saw the shine of his LED change to yellow, that would only infuriate him more. He had to get out of this and then he could call Hank. The thought of ending up at Hanks house, cuddling with the man when this night ended, gave him something to look forward to; something to fight for.

 

Malcolm came closer with the knife grasped in his left hand. He wasn’t threatening it at this time, more like he was just using it as an intimidation tool. The closer he got, the more scared Connor became. The android stood up quickly, knocking his chair back as he stood. He looked around him, trying to find a weapon that he could use in case Malcolm were to come at him with the knife. His search showed nothing that could be used as a weapon and would be easy enough for him to lift with his now weaker abilities.

 

“What the fuck did you just say?” His voice was deeper than usual, and dripping with malice and intimidation. Since they had been together, Connor had seen many different sides of the man in front of him. He had seen him happy and violent and angry, but this, this was completely different. He had never seen the man look so… evil. Connor wasn't going to back down; he couldn't. 

 

“I think w-we should see o-other people,” Connor was unprepared when he saw the man launch himself off of the counter and towards the android. He had thought that Malcolm would yell at him, call him disgusting names, fight with him, anything really. He did not think that he would launch himself into a physical attack so soon.

 

Connor quickly tried to run to the front door, needing to get as far away from him as possible. He was nearly there, just about a foot from the door, when a hand wound itself through his curls, pulling him back to the floor. Connor tried to catch himself before he hit the ground, but he was dragged all the way down too quickly. 

 

He tried to get up as soon as he felt himself make contact with the carpet underneath him, but he was trapped with Malcolm on top of him, holding him down with his own body. Malcolm wasn't fat by any means, but he did have a lot of muscle weight that made him heavier. 

 

Connor tried to push the man off of him but with a mix of the weight of him, added with Connor’s weakness, made it impossible for the android to escape the body that now lay on top of him. He tried to send a message to Hank, but he was unable to give his processors enough amount of concentration while he was panicking. 

 

“You think you can just walk out on me?! Well, I got news you, you android piece of shit!! I make the rules around here! YOU belong to ME! And you are never getting away from me!” 

 

Connor felt the first blow land in his stomach, causing his gyroscope to malfunction. The room seemed to spin as he tried to get a grip on his surroundings. Everything was spinning and he couldn't understand what Malcolm was saying to him. He was thankful that at this time, Malcolm had seemed to have dropped the knife in favor of using his own hands. He never used a real weapon against the android, they were usually just for intimidation.

 

He felt another hit, to his face this time, right over his LED which Malcolm hated so much. Multiple lines of code and dialogue boxes flashed across his vision, telling him that his chassis was receiving multiple dents. 

 

Connor had never felt this much pain before. Malcolm had hit him many times, but it wasn't like this. Usually, it was only just a punch or two at a time, but now he was just raining down his fists again and again and again. Connor had never even imagined pain like this. Every part of his body ached. He tried to focus all of his power on calling for help, but he couldn’t focus enough to do so. 

 

“You think that old man could ever love you?” Malcolm chuckled darkly, “No one will ever love you but me.” He felt the weight lift off of his chest, but he didn't know much else apart from that. His mind was so confused. For a moment, he felt nothing. He knew that he was still being hit many times but for some reason, he just couldn't feel the pain from the impacts. 

 

Soon enough, the world went dark.


	5. Chapter 5

He didn't know how much time he had missed, but when he realized that he was alone in the living room, he knew he had to take this chance. Everything hurt, the android felt tears running down his face. Connor hated being so confused

 

The whole room was spinning, he couldn't tell up from down. His vision was bombarded with errors and red text all over everything he could see. Out of one eye, everything was tinted red and out of the other everything was tinted blue, probably from the error text and the blood in his eye.

 

The damaged android tried to roll over so he could somehow get to his feet. As he turned over to push himself up off the floor, his hand landed in some kind of wet, sticky substance. When he looked down, he noticed that the substance was, in fact, his own blood. He had already been low on thirium, but now, he was also losing blood through the physical injuries. 

 

Connor tried to ignore the pain running throughout his body and the spinning of the room as managed to roll completely over onto his stomach. He knew that he had let out a loud groan of pain, but he couldn't hear it. All he could hear was a low ringing in his ears. He also noticed that when he laid his forehead down on the floor, that what he thought was a small puddle of blood was actually a huge pool all around him. He was losing a lot of blood, and fast. 

 

Connor lifted his head and saw through his tilting vision that the front door was less than five feet away. He was close, so close he could almost taste it. He tried to make a preconstruction of how much effort it would take and what the best way to get there could be, but he was getting a blank. None of his advanced systems were online. He tried to scan the house so he could find out where Malcolm was, but that wasn't working either. 

 

He decided that it didn't matter where his abuser was or how likely it was that he would get to the door, he had to try. Connor tried to use both of his arms to lift himself off the floor, hoping to get to his feet. He noticed that only one of his arms were functioning properly. Looking to his left arm and noticed with a terrifying realization, that his arm had basically been… ripped.... off. 

 

Where his arm should have been connected to his elbow, it looked like it had been pulled out of the socket that kept his arm together. Blue blood was leaking very heavily out of the severed connection. Thankfully, the arm was still connected by a few wires that clung to both parts. Connor looked to his right arm and was happy to see that it was still connected and seemed to be working properly. 

 

His right arm was already tired from holding up his body, and the android gently dropped himself back down on the ground on his chest. He reached his right arm forward and grabbed the carpet and pulled himself forward. He cringed as he pulled himself across the floor, causing the fabric to rub across his already painful injuries. 

 

He tried to go as fast as he could, but only his injuries more. He knew that Malcolm was still somewhere in the apartment and he could be back at any moment. That only made the android try harder to cross the last three feet to the door. 

 

As long as he got out to the door and into the hallway, he could begin to scream for help, and he was sure one of his neighbors would hear him and somehow be able to help him. He thought of the lady across the hall from them. Her name is Mrs. Rose, and Connor thought she was one of the nicest people he had ever met in his whole life. 

 

Connor would regularly go over to her apartment and spend quite a few afternoons with her, just talking about everything and anything. She knew that he and Malcolm had a strained relationship but she had no idea about the physical abuse.... she would soon. 

 

Connor knew that if she heard him screaming that she would rush out to help him. She was in her mid-sixties but was very active for her age. If she couldn't help get the android up on her own, she would definitely stay with him and call for help. The android thought of how ironic it would be if Hank ended up being a first responder. 

 

He knew the man was at home waiting for him, but he imagined if Fowler had noticed that there was a call coming from his address, that he would call Hank and they would both probably show up, considering he was a fellow officer. 

 

That thought only made him want to fight harder. The last thing he wanted was for Hank to have to come to the scene and see him dying or dead at the doorway of his own home. He imagined that Hank would go back to his drinking and self-destructive activities, just waiting for the day that he pulled the trigger on the right bullet. 

 

Connor wanted to self-destruct at the thought. He had been so afraid of losing Hank when they first started out as partners. However, throughout the months of them being partnered and best friends, he had only seen Hank pick up a drink when there was something to celebrate and even then it was a very controlled amount. 

 

Connor felt something cold press against his face, causing him to jump lightly, aggravating the pain in his left arm. When he looked up, he realized that he was pressed against the door. He had somehow managed to use his feet and his arms to get him to the base of the door, He was going to escape. There was no way he wouldn't. He's  _ right here,  _ the door is  _ right here.  _

 

He's going to get out and he's going to go see Hank and he's going to play with Sumo. Maybe he would even go see Markus and his other friends later, everything was going to be better after today. He would never have to feel this pain ever again. Hank is going to protect him and take care of him. Hank would always keep him safe. 

 

He reached his one good arm up to the doorknob. He had his chest directly on the floor and used the surface of the door to keep his arm going in the right direction. He felt his fingertips just barely brush against the door handle. The metal was cool on his overheated skin and calmed him down immensely.

 

The android could feel himself getting weaker as the blood continued to leave his body. The world was beginning to fade around him, but he knew he had to keep going. There's no telling what would happen to Hank if he were to perish here. Also, the thousands of people in Detroit who needed his help on an everyday basis. He had so much to live for, so much he wanted to accomplish. 

 

He tried harder for his fingers to wrap around the door handle, the metal was only brushing his fingers. He needed a good inch more until he could reach the doorknob fully enough to turn it. He used his feet to push himself closer to the door even though he was already flush with the wood. He was able to push himself up enough that he was able to feel the cool metal fill his hand.

This is it. He has the doorknob in his grasp. As soon as he turned it, he would flop down onto the hallway floor where he could call for help. Then he would be met with either Mrs. Rose or maybe the new boy from down the hall who had recently moved in with his parents. 

 

Just as he was about to turn the knob, he felt a hand in his hair pulling him back. He was flipped completely backward, landing on his back on the living room floor, now even farther from the door than where he began. He felt pain sear across his back, causing him to let out a cry of pain that he still could not hear. It felt as if his back was on fire. 

 

When he opened his eyes, he could see a vague figure through the errors and blood that filled his eyes. Malcolm was standing over him, no longer wearing a shirt and a wild look on his face. He knew what that face meant. He could see it in his eyes and the scowl on his face. He was high. Red ice, again. 

 

Whenever Malcolm normally got high, Connor would never be home. He would enter the apartment as the man was coming off of his high and would find traces of the drug in the bathroom, but not enough to make a report on it if he wanted to. He had searched the whole house and never found a stash anywhere. 

 

On the one hand, he was thankful; if anyone had ever been able to find any in his home, Connor would be in a lot of trouble since he was an officer of the law and he couldn't change that. He also didn't know if he would ever be able to confront Malcolm if he ever found any amount of the drug. 

 

He felt Malcolm's hand wrap around his throat, pulling him up slightly from the floor. Connor cursed the man’s military background, giving him the strength to lift his body with just one hand. They both knew that he couldn't be choked in the same way a human could, he could still live without constantly breathing. However, Connor still felt a large comfort from being able to breathe, when that was taken away it only made him more anxious and scared. Also, due to all of the injuries and malfunctions, he was having a hard time cooling his bio-components without the aid of the air around him entering his systems.

 

Malcolm kept lifting him until they were face to face, and Connor could feel bruises forming under the man's hand where his frame was cracking, allowing blue blood to seep through. Malcolm brought the android’s face closer to his until they were only an inch apart. Connor swore that his eyes were already red, burning a hole through his own. 

 

“You will  _ never  _ get away from me. You. Are. Mine!” His voice sounded far away, but was able to tell what he was saying. Malcolm pulled him closer, closing the gap between the two as he forced his lips onto the androids. The man closed his eyes, moaning into the kiss. Connor's eyes were wide in panic. He lifted his good arm to Malcolm’s chest, trying weakly to push the human off of him. He tried to swing his legs to kick at his attacker but was too weak to even make his leg reach all the way to his attacker's body. 

 

He felt Malcolm trying to shove his tongue into his mouth but Connor kept his lips closed, not willing to let him in. Suddenly, he felt the hand around his throat squeeze tighter, causing him to gasp. Malcolm’s tongue forcefully entered his mouth, exploring every inch he could reach. Connor had to stop himself from gagging at the horrible taste, he could sense the traces of red ice in his mouth. He heard Malcolm groaning and moaning, and it disgusted him. 

 

Suddenly, he felt his body getting thrown back down to the ground. The force of the throw had turned him completely around, causing him to be laying on his chest on the ground with his face smashed into the carpet. The ringing in his ears got louder when he made an impact, but he could hear Malcolm screaming from above him. No words were being said from what he could tell, just screaming. 

 

Connor began to wiggle in his spot, trying to push himself away from the angry man above him. He had only managed to get about a foot away in his panic when he felt a hand wrap around his ankle and pull him back. He squealed in fear as he felt the large weight hanging over him. Malcolm had Connor’s body trapped under his own, holding the deviant to the floor. 

 

Connor couldn't even describe how terrified he was. He didn't know for sure if he was going to make it out of this alive. He was never going to see Hank again, never going to the small smile that still somehow appeared to light up a whole room. He was never going to feel those arms around him holding him tight keeping him safe. 

 

He really screwed up this time. He should have known he wouldn't be a match for the much bigger, and much stronger man. He was going to die here in this disgusting apartment. There was no doubt in his mind that Malcolm would take his body and dispose of him in the garbage bins just outside.

 

He could already imagine the look on Hank's face when he came to get him, only to be met with whatever lies Malcolm would tell him. No doubt, Hank would see the blue blood over the man and the floor inside of the apartment. He would force Malcolm to give him answers and when he knew, he would go in search of the android in hopes that he could save him. Only to find the android dead in a dumpster. 

 

He cringed internally as he thought about Hank’s reaction to his dead body. He could imagine Hank holding onto the shell that used to house his mind. He couldn't let that happen, he wouldn't let Hank face that sight and have to suffer from that trauma. 

 

Connor tried to curl up as small as possible, trying to protect all of the vital biocomponents. If he had any chance of surviving this, he had to make sure the most fragile parts of himself were protected at all costs. If any of his important biocomponents got damaged, he wouldn't live more than a couple of minutes even if he was found. 

 

He waited to feel the blows land on his already dented chassis, but nothing came. When he looked up. Malcolm was standing over him, each leg on either side of Connors small body. He had no idea when the man had stood up again, not noticing when the wright was lifted from his back. The man was staring down at Connor like he was a good meal about to be devoured. His eyes were wild and his toothy grin was displaying all of his teeth, yellow from coffee and his poor hygiene. 

 

Suddenly, Malcolm leaned down, placing one hand at the back of Connor’s neck, pushing his face even more into the carpet. The android let out a groan of pain as his face rubbed uncomfortably against the material. Malcolm shifted from his feet to his knees, forcing his weight on top of the poor android, causing him to grunt. 

 

With his other hand, Malcolm rubbed up and down Connors back in a faux calming motion. 

 

“You may be a piece of shit fucking android, but at least your ass lubes itself.” The words basically dripped with venom, his voice disgustingly gravely and deep. The android tensed up as he realized what those words really meant. 

 

Malcolm had  _ never  _ done that to him before, whenever they had sex, he would always urge Connor to play along. There had been a few times where the android said no and Malcolm wouldn't forcibly make him participate. However this time, he could tell that he wouldn't be so lucky. 

 

“N-No…p-p-please” he whispered, trying to convey his fear and pain to the oblivious man above him. Connor didn't know how it would feel to be… damaged in that way. He had interviewed countless rape victims and even interfaced with a few to get the identity of the suspect. While he was always disturbed with the images, he knew that experiencing it would be much different. 

 

The android tried to wriggle out of the man's grip, trying to get the hand off of his neck and the other to stop touching his back. He tried once again to cybernetically connect to anyone he possibly could. Once again, he didn't have enough energy to send any messages or any alerts. 

 

He felt the hand on his neck loosen and almost celebrated the small victory. Until he felt the hand traveled to the top of his head, grabbing the hair there and lifting it off the carpet only to be slammed back down with all of Malcolm's weight helping to push his head down. 

 

Connor felt the darkness creeping in around him, fading everything from view. He tried once again to wiggle out of the man's hold, again unsuccessful. He knew his face must be a mess, a mix of clear and blue tears running down his face with a couple more added bruises and a rash from the carpet. 

 

Connor stopped moving when he felt a hand pull down the material of his pants, also possibly ripping them, but Connor could not exactly tell. He heard Malcolm swear from above him and he knew exactly why. Due to his low thirium, his body couldn't find any extra to make any lube. Currently, his anal cavity was the exact same as any other human male, unlubricated and unable to instantly adjust to any intrusion. Not that Malcolm cared. 

 

“Well, this is gonna hurt, tincan,” was the man's only response, well, the only response that Connor could hear, at least. The harder he tried to move away from the man, the harder he pushed down on his neck. Once Connor’s pants had been disposed of, he felt Malcolm’s other hand wrapping around his good arm, pinning the limb to the floor. 

 

He heard a small moan from behind his ear before he felt the intrusion. He expected the man to at least go slow but was once again proven wrong when Malcolm pushed all the way in, bottoming out on the first thrust. Connor could feel himself tear and could feel more thirium pouring out of the wound and making its way down his things. 

 

_ The pain was unbearable.  _

 

He could never have imagined a pain like his. He wanted to curl in on himself and self-destruct, but even with his stress at one hundred percent, he had no way to smash his head or create any damage to himself when he was held down in this manner. 

 

He just wanted it all to stop, the pain, the ringing in his ears, Malcolm’s moans right net to his ear, the colored vision of the living room floor. Everything. He couldn't take it. His systems were becoming overloaded, he couldn't comprehend what was going on, he wasn't taking in everything properly. There were too many things to focus on, to analyze. 

 

But then, Malcolm started moving. 

 

Now, he could  _ only _ focus on the pain. It was as if everything else disappeared from the Earth and the only thing Connor knew was the pain from his rear. Every time Malcolm would push in, it was like a new type of pain taking over his entire body. Connor could not control anything apart from his screams which were barely loud enough for Malcolm to hear because of his weakened body. 

 

It's  _ too much,  _ it’s all  _ too much.  _ He couldn't breathe, he couldn't take this anymore, he was too weak. Everything was too much. There was only one thing he would do. 

 

With the last of his energy, he finally managed to send a message to Hank. After that, there was nothing. 


	6. Chapter 6

 

H̷̨̛̭̪̹̟͍̃͆̐e̶̛̝͍̍̿̿̊͝͠l̸͖̪̰͙̮̳̪̾̊̆̃̎p̵͚͔̘͊  ̸̙̗͉́̊͂̈́͂̎͐̕͝m̶̲̺̻͓̍͜e̴͍̟̞̤̩͙̿̊.̴̧͇̺̘̘͉̯͌̈̓̆̃̈͊̕͜ͅ

 

That was all it took to send Hank hurdling into his car driving erratically through the streets, breaking many laws in the meantime. He  _ knew  _ he shouldn't have let Connor go alone. He knew the android would need him. 

 

He wanted Connor to be able to do this for himself. But Malcolm was so much bigger and so much stronger. Hank wasn't a stupid man, but he sure felt like he was now. 

 

Now because of his own stupidity, Connor was probably getting hurt and it was all his fault. Connor needed him the most right now, but Hank was all the way across town. What if something irreversible happened to Connor before he was able to save him? Hank would never forgive himself. 

 

He messaged Fowler while he was driving, telling him how drastic the situation was. The captain had also been very worried about the Android and was ready to spring into action as soon as Hank called. He had requested that Hank drives by the precinct so that they could have some other officers got with him, to give help if he needed it. Hank was sure he would. 

 

He could feel the guilt eating him alive. Connor was so small and innocent, anyone who was okay with hurting him was, for sure, a monster. While Connor was a machine built for combat and to deal with attacks, sometimes he was just too trusting. He could get caught up in things that he could not control. 

 

Connor wanted to fix people, and Hank figured that was why he had gotten involved with such a man. Connor wanted to give everyone a chance and saw good in every person, even when it wasn't there. Hank imagined that when he met Malcolm, he saw someone who he could help, but Hank knew it wasn't possible. Connor trusted everyone, he was too kind for his own good. 

 

Hank had never hated the Detroit traffic more in his life than he did right now. Every red light, he considered running through it, but his fear of the previous accident that killed his son stopped him every time. If Hank was to get himself in an accident right now, who knows what would happen to Connor. 

 

He knew that the precinct was aware of the danger the android was in. So regardless of the fact that if Hank was to get into an accident right now, he knew Connor would get found and be safe. But what about after? Where would Connor go if something happened to him? Hank could only imagine how Connor would feel if he got through this but had no one to go to afterward. 

 

Hank cringed at the thought of what Connor would do if Hank had died. As far as he knew, he was Connor’s best friend. He could remember a bunch of times where he had gotten injured on duty and the way Connor had reacted. The android would cry, even though he told Hank many times that he couldn't cry, and scream for someone to help them. He could remember when the android had carried him over two miles to get him somewhere safe after chasing a suspect. 

 

He knew Connor cared about him. Now that he didn't have his own apartment, Connor would be living with him and he could already imagine the changes that would come in his household, and he was okay with that. As long as Connor was safe with him, he would take any changes that the android would inflict. It was a small price to pay for Connor’s safety. All the changes would be to the benefit for his health of course because that was something that Connor really cared about. 

 

Hank couldn't imagine his life without the deviant. Even the recent absence of the android from his life was extremely difficult for him. He missed the android dearly. He missed Connor commenting on his diet even though it did get quite annoying. He missed entering the living room to find Connor on the floor with Sumo, rubbing the huge dog’s fur, getting white hair all over him in the meantime. He missed the heat that radiated from the android when the would lay across the couch and watch movies together. He couldn't imagine having that again. 

 

The sound of sirens and the flashing lights behind his car shook the an out of his thoughts. He looked in his rearview mirror and saw a cop car behind him. He couldn't tell who was in the car but he knew it was one of his fellow patrols. He wondered if they were actually pulling him over for going at least forty over the speed limit. Was it possible that Fowler hadn't told everyone about their situation?

 

He was about to pull over when he looked behind again and notice that it wasn't only one patrol car, it was three. He saw the driver of the car right behind him raise a hand to wave at Hank. He returned the gesture and let himself relax with the new knowledge that they were there to help him. He must have driven by the precinct without knowing it when he was lost in his thoughts. 

 

Suddenly the car directly behind him pulled to the side, attempting to pass him. Hank allowed himself to slow his car down just slightly to allow the officer to pass him. He looked out of his window, to see the passing motorist. 

 

He was surprised to see Gavin in the car beside him. The detective raised his hand again a wave and then sped up to get in front of Hank’s car. Since Hank’s car was unmarked and didn't have any lights, it was necessary for Gavin to be in front of him so that people would move over off the street. 

 

With one cop car in front of him and two behind him, Hank followed Gavin's cruiser toward the apartment. At this rate, it would only take about three more minutes to get there. 

 

_ ‘Just hold on Connor, I’ll be there soon. Just hold on,”  _ Hank thought to himself as him and the other patrols barreled down the roads leading to the building were Malcolm lived. Hank was quite surprised to notice that he had to go even faster in order to catch up with the detective ahead of him. He knew it was Gavin's job to save people and everything, but he had never thought that he would be trying this hard to get Connor back.

 

Sure, the two had started getting along and were on the steady path to becoming friends, thanks to Connor’s insistence for the detective to talk to him. He had seen from his own eyes that Gavin was becoming more comfortable with the android’s presence.

 

Not only did Connor get Hank his coffee every morning, but he also goes a coffee for Gavin. The android was so insistent on Gavin liking him, that he did anything the detective asked of him, and Hank was pretty surprised that the man hadn't taken advantage of that. 

 

He was happy that Gavin was finally embracing the android. It seemed to him that the man actually cared about the android more than he was willing to lead on. He was never one to push, Gavin could have his feelings in private. He was just glad it was going to have a better result for his partner.

 

Before Hank knew it, they were right outside the apartment. He pulled the old car into the driveway recklessly, staring up at the apartment building above him. He felt the fear tugging at his stomach. He thought about all of the things that could have happened in the time it took him to get there.

 

He could tell from the text on his phone that something was very wrong. The text was glitched and hard to read. If it was already that bad fifteen minutes ago, who knew what could have happened since them. 

 

Hank forced away the image in his head of Connor’s body bleeding out on the floor, along with the tears he tried to hold back from the surface. He needed to keep a clear head, now it was more important than ever. He needed to do what was best for Connor right now. 

 

The other patrol cars pulled into the gravel driveway of the apartment just as he was getting out of his own car. He hadn't bothered to turn off the vehicle, imagining that he wasn't going to be here long after he found the android.

 

He gave a silent wave to Gavin, acknowledging the detective’s presence. He turned around as saw that Tina and Chris were filing out of the other cars. He gave them all a firm nod as he closed his car door. 

 

He saw in his peripheral vision that Gavin was approaching him, he turned to greet the detective as they both walked towards the door of the apartment. He noticed that his hands were shaking, showing just how nervous he was about the situation. He tried his best to not run right to the door and to the apartment and to hear what Gavin had to say. The detective handed him a bullet-proof kevlar vest which he begrudgingly pulled over his head. The necessary protection slowed him dark too much for his liking. 

 

“We’re all behind you Lieutenant, it's your call.”

 

“Good, you all stay behind me. You keep focused and be ready for anything, we have no idea what he is capable off. We are going to treat this very delicately, one of our best officers are in there and we have no idea how much danger he is in.”

 

Tina, Chris, Gavin, and a few other officers all nodded, eager to please their superiors. Hank took a moment to be thankful for the team he had with him today. If something were to go wrong in there, he felt safe with these people watching his back. More importantly, he felt that Connor would be safe with any of these officers. 

 

Hank turned back to the apartment, ready to enter the main doors with all of his men behind him. He felt his hands were still shaking, he was worried about Connor’s safety, but he knew he was as prepared as he could possibly be. He trusted the people behind him. They were all aware of the fact that this was a life or death situation, and they all had Connor’s best interest at heart. 

 

Suddenly, another car was heard, swerving hazardously as it turned into the driveway, spitting out gravel all around them. Hank didn't recognize the car. It was quite a new car, possibly a self-driving vehicle. But by the looks of it, as it spends through the entrance of the parking lot, the person was driving themselves. 

 

Hank watched as the driver of the car exited the vehicle. He was shocked to see the familiar deviant exit the vehicle. 

 

“Markus? Why are you here?” 

 

The android rushed up to him, leaving his car on and slamming the door tightly. Hank had never seen the android so panicked or out of ‘breath’. The man managed to lead a whole revolution and successfully save thousands of androids from destruction while managing to stay cool as a cucumber. Even though he was a deviant, Markus did not show a whole lot of emotion on his face most of the time. 

 

Now, however, Markus had his eyebrows creased in panic and his eyes just poured emotion from them. He looked scared, concerned, worried, and enraged all at once. The android ran over to the lieutenant, his hands were shaking just a Hanks was. When Markus reached him, the android placed his hands on Hank’s arms and looked right into his eyes. 

 

“Lieutenant, It’s Connor! That's why you’re here, right?” 

 

Hank nodded but he could tell his own eyebrows were creased as well, showing confusion. How did Markus know? He looked around for any news vans even though he knew there wouldn't be any, it was much too early for that, maybe later but not now? Hank wondered if Fowler had maybe called the android so that he could help with...repairing the android. 

 

“Um..y-yeah. How did you know?” 

 

“Twenty four minutes and thirty-six seconds ago, Connor went into emergency emotional stasis to protect his processors and keep his systems from encryption and to prevent a permanent shutdown! It sent out an alarm that all the New Jehrio leaders and I received.”

 

“Markus...I don't know what that means.”

 

The android rolled his eyes as everyone started to walk closer to the buildings front doors. “It means that something traumatic happened to him, and to protect himself, he dissociated himself from everything. He essentially shoved his personality to the back of his mind to protect himself.” 

 

Hank was more furious that he had even remembered being. Connor was in grave danger, there was no way to deny it now; Markus had even confirmed it. Connor had ripped away his own personality and shoved it away just so that he could be safer from being traumatized. It was heartbreaking. 

 

“So, can he still feel everything? Is he going to be okay? What does this mean for him, Markus?”

 

“Well, he will still remember everything up to that point, I am unsure if he will be aware of what happened after he regains consciousness. Not much is understood about an emotional shut down because they are rarely used. He must have known that others would be alarmed when he entered it, and that might be the reason he attempted it,” Markus explained. “He technically knows what is going on at the moment, but he is able to detach his emotions from it. He is still aware of what is going on but he doesn't necessarily feel anything towards it. This will hopefully lessen the trauma, but I’m not sure it will have much of an effect for the situation.” 

 

Hank held up a hand to stop Markus from continuing, he had heard enough technical talk for one day. They had wasted about at least a minute out in the parking lot, one minute of trauma Connor could have avoided if Hank had been faster. Every moment he waited out here, the more damage was receiving inside. He had to get to the android  _ right now _ .

 

He pointed to Chris and a few of the rookies who had come with him. “New plan, you four-guard all of the exits in case this dipshit tries to make a run for it. He's not very bright so I imagine he is going to try. He better not get past you guys, or I will deal with you personally, got it?”

 

Hank’s eyes strayed over to the rookies more than Chris. He more than trusted the man to get the job done, it was the new guys that he was worried about. He had to make sure that they knew he was in charge and to weasel out any hotshots who thought they could take on his command. He trusted Chris to keep them in shape. Once the men had left his side of go toward the exits, he turned to Tina and Gavin. 

 

“You two will stay right behind me. If things get a little messy when I open that door, I trust you two to have my back. You head straight to the attacker while Markus and I tend to Connor. I don't imagine that you will have any trouble, but if you do, let me know and I will help you, but please try not to need me.” 

 

The two officers nodded and Hank knew that they would be perfectly fine without him; they were two of the best officers at the precinct, especially when they were together. 

 

Finally, he turned to Markus. “You. Stay right on Gavin’s ass as we enter the building. I am going to need your help to assess Connor’s condition and get him out of whatever protective state he put himself into. As soon as I open the door, Tina and Gavin will rush in. When Gavin is clear you run up and stay directly behind me,” Hank directed. “After I enter the room you will stay by the front door until I call you in. Under no circumstances will you enter the room until Malcolm is cuffed and on the floor. You are not one of my officers Markus, and you are very important to the movement and to every android in the world. You are one of Connor’s best friends, and I will not stand for you getting injured, but I desperately need your help. Do I make myself clear?” 

 

Markus nodded his head, making sure he knew every word Hank had just said. He repeated the speech to himself just to make sure he understood every piece of information.

 

“Good, now let's go, I've wasted enough fucking time out here.”

 

The four-membered team entered the building, passing right by the empty reception desk and heading straight up the stairs to the third floor. Hank tried to keep his mind empty, the more he thought, the more his emotions would cloud his judgment, which would make the situation unsafe for everyone. 

 

The officers, plus Markus, were pressed up against the wall near Connor's apartment. Hank in the front, followed by Tina then Gavin and finally Markus. Hank could feel his hands shaking in fear, he didn't know what he was going to see in there but he was sure he was not going to like it. 

 

He could imagine Connor bleeding out on the floor when he got in the room. Too late. He was too late. Connor is dead and it's all Hank’s fault because he didn't get there soon enough. Not even Markus would be able to help him. 

 

What if he got in there and Connor had been beaten so severely, that he was absolutely traumatized? What if the Connor he loved was gone, replaced by an android full of anxiety? Hank wouldn't mind if he had to take care of Connor every day, all day. If Connor had gotten traumatized, he would stay home every day for however long it took to make the android feel safe again. 

 

Hank looked back to the team behind him. He cursed himself for not giving Markus any kevlar. The thought had not entered his mind to give the android any form of protection, he was too concerned on getting to Connor before something irreversible happened. His negligence had put Markus in danger. 

 

Hank considered taking off his own kevlar and throwing it to the deviant, but they didn't have that kind of time, and this was not the place to get undressed especially considering he was the closest to the door and needed to be the first to react if something bad happened. 

 

He nodded to his officers and Markus, confirming if they were ready. Everyone nodded back, showing that they were prepared for whatever was on the other side of the door. He was thankful that Markus had told him about Connor sending out an alert that he was in danger. Now he could do whatever was needed to restrain Malcolm without harming him because they had proof that Connor was in immediate danger. 

 

Hank was glad that Gavin was here. The officer had a wrap for using too much force on the criminals, but just not enough for him to get in trouble. Usually, Hank was always against Gavin using too much force, he felt like it wasn't fair to beat the suspects until they had reasonable evidence. But now, he wound he happy for the man to lay an extra hand on Malcolm. 

 

Hank turned back to the door, stealing his own nerves for what was behind the door. 

 

It was now or never, he had to save Connor  _ right now. _

 

Without any more interruptions, Hank kicked the door in. 

 

He backed up against the wall as soon as the door was open. He saw Tina and Gavin pass him quickly as they rushed into the room with their handguns held out in front of them. He heard screaming from the two officers, telling Malcolm to get on the ground. In between the loud booming voices of his officers, he heard Malcolm yelling curses and other foul language. 

 

He wanted nothing more than to rush into the room and take the probably horribly wounded android into his arms. He wanted to be able to tell him that he was going to be okay and that he was going to keep him safe. Connor must be terrified in there, after suffering from who-knows-what and then the door bursts open to have even more people rush into the room. 

 

Connor must be scared, confused, and very in need of comfort. Hank had only ever wanted to make Connor happy and now look where they are. Connor is less than ten feet away from him but he has to wait until he is out of harm's way before he can go to him. 

 

It took everything in him to rush into the room and swoop Connor up in his arms. He would run out to the parking lot to get as far away from that disgusting man as possible. Hank would shield his eyes and tuck the android’s head into his neck to block him from the prying eyes of his abuser. 

 

“Hank! Get the fuck in here!” 

 

The sound of Tina's voice booming throughout the apartment brought him back to reality. This was it, he was going to take Connor away from this disgusting apartment and keep him safe at his own home. Now that the time was here, he was even more nervous than before. What if Connor needed more help than him or even Markus could supply? That didn't matter now, Connor needed him and he was going to help him. 

 

Hank rushed into the room, ready to go straight to Connor and let him know that he wasn't alone now. Hank was here for him, he is going to be taken care of now. There will be no more fear, no more reason to have to live in this filthy apartment building. He wished he could have brought Sumo, Connor would have loved that. 

 

Suddenly, all those thoughts flew right out of his mind. The sight of Connor was enough to stop his own heart from beating.

  
  


Connor was curled up on the carpet of the living room floor, his head was positioned towards the door but his face showed absolutely no emotion. His eyes were blank, almost the exact same they looked over a year ago when he was still a machine. 

 

There was blood  _ everywhere. _

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

Connor’s body was absolutely covered in blood. It was smeared all over his face from his tears and what appeared to be a wound on his forehead. Compared to earlier, his face now had double the bruises. Both sides of Connor's face were blue with the blood that collected under his skin, thankfully, still only one of his eyes actually had blood in them. 

 

When Hank looked closer, he could see that Connor had his arms clutched to his chest, as if to protect himself. But something looked off, the blue liquid everywhere made things harder to see and harder to tell the difference between objects. When Hank finally made the image make sense in his head, he wanted to kill that disgusting excuse of a man. 

 

Connors' forearm looked like it had been pulled so roughly away from his elbow, that had just simply...detached. Hank could see a few red wires holding the arm to the elbow but that was about it. His arm was lacking the human looking skin that Connor was so comfortable with, revealing the bright white plastic underneath it. 

 

Connor’s hand on his other arm held the injured arms wrist to his chest. It looked as if Connor had no control over the appendage, making him unable to hold it up on his own. The hand was relaxed, fingers slightly curled, just like that of a resting human hand. The sight was so eerie. Sure, Hank had seen Connor injured in the line of duty, but his arm had never forcibly been ripped off like this. 

 

Hank could see even more blue blood running down the length of Connor’s legs, and even more over his hips. It was then that Hank had noticed that his partner was naked from the legs down, his torso still covered by the undershirt that he always wore under his white button up. His eyes strayed to the right side of the room, and Hank could see a pile of torn fabric bunched up against the wall. 

 

Hank was an amazing detective, but you didn't need to be one to know what had happened here. Hank was pretty sure he could go find any citizen off the street, show them the scene and they would be able to know what had taken place just moments before. 

 

The lieutenant looked to his left of the living room where he saw Gavin forcing Malcolm onto his chest while Tina cuffed his arms together behind his back. Gavin suddenly lifted Malcolm from where he was laying on his chest and flipped him over to lay on his back. Without wasting a moment to listen to the man's slurs, Gavin landed a hard punch right into the center of the man's face, causing his nose to start gushing blood. 

 

Once Hank was sure that Malcolm was handled and that he would be unable to lash out as Hank crossed the room, he took quick steps inside the apartment, calling for Markus to follow behind him. 

 

He didn't think he had ever moved so fast in his life, crossing the short distance in less than a second. He dropped to his knees in front of the android, he kept his hands raised above his body, too scared to lay a finger on him in case he was to hurt him. 

 

“Oh, Connor… Oh god… C-Con? Can you hear m-me?” 

He focused in on the android’s face and he wanted to look away. The bruises were absolutely vomit-inducing; he was beaten black and blue and he still had blood falling from his one eye like tears. Not only that, but his face was just so...blank. There was no emotion showing in his dark brown eyes. 

 

It was strange to see Connor so emotionless. Since he had become a deviant, Connor always looked happy, whether he was actually feeling any strong emotion didn't matter, the Android always seemed to have a small smile of his face, until recently. 

 

Hank felt the revolution leader kneel down beside him, an equally frightened expression on his face. That only made him more worried. Markus knew androids and the kind of repairs he would need, and he had no doubt seen many injured deviants in his time. If he was worried by Connor’s condition, Hank knew he should be as well. 

 

With shaky palms, Hank reached out and landed one hand on the side of Connor’s head gently. He was pleased when the android hadn't flinched away from the touch, however, he hadn't leaned into it as he usually would. The android lay silently under him and Hank rubbed his thumb over the cheek that was not pushed into the floor. 

 

“Con? Can you hear me? Please say something Connor,” The lieutenant looked over to Markus with tears falling down his face. The two locked eyes for a second as they heard Malcolm being pulled out of the apartment, leaving them in silence. 

 

After a long, tense moment, Markus brought his eyes back to the body of his friend before him. The dark-skinned android reached his hand out and grabbed the wrist of the hand that Connor was using to hold his injured one to his chest. Markus allowed his skin to fade away, revealing his white frame beneath. 

 

Connors skin also faded as he connected with Markus. Hank could only watch as both of their LED’s shined a bright yellow, Markus’s flashing quickly and Connor’s barely blinking at all. Hank noticed that Markus was flinching as he severed the connection. 

 

“Thankfully, it looks a lot worse than it is, however, he is in desperate need of blood. He has a shutdown timer for fifty-four minutes and twelve seconds, but that it only due to the blood loss, which can be easily corrected. I can connect to him on the way to the repair facility to give him more blood as he loses it,” Markus assured the lieutenant. “He has been… ripped… down there, that can be easily repaired. He needs a new arm as this one had been damaged beyond repair. There are many dents over his chassis, but I am unable to tell how many. The only bio-component that has been disrupted to the point where failure is possible is his thermal regulator.”

 

Hank shook in his place, that was a long list. However, while Markus looked like he was scared, his voice was calm and kept Hank calm as well. The android seemed confident about his ability to keep Connor alive, and that was all Hank needed. 

 

“You’re going to give him blood?” Hank wanted to talk about all his other injuries but he knew this was not the place, that could wait. 

 

“Yes, I can disconnect one of the thirium lines in my arm and connect it to his. I can give him about twenty percent of my blood by the time we reach the facility. It should raise his vitals a bit, putting him in a better condition by the time we get there.”

 

Markus reached up to Connor’s head, reaching under Hank’s hand which was still pressed to the androids head and stroking his cheek. Markus pressed his finger to the slowly pulsing LED, the skin leaving his finger to show the white plastic again. His other hand was again wrapped around Connor’s wrist. Markus furrowed his brows and pulled both of his hands back from Connor’s body. 

 

“What's wrong with him? Why won't he respond? Shouldn't we go?” Hank fired, just wanting to get some answers. Markus shook his head as he revealed the frame beneath his own forearm and slid open a panel. When it was open, it showed many wires, tubes, and pieces of metal. The biggest tube lying in the center, dark blue in color. 

 

“His emotional shut down has locked everything out. I cannot command his body to move or make him pull back his skin. I was hoping to remove all of his skin so that he can hopefully cool down, but his system won’t allow me to do anything.”

 

“So what does that mean?”

 

Markus let out a large sigh, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to force his emotions back to the surface so that he can unlock his systems, and I can give him some blood to hopefully stabilize him. Right now he is in full lockdown, so I am unable to do anything.”

 

“Is that really a good idea? Won’t that traumatize him even more? I don’t want to hurt him, Markus,” Hank really didn’t like the idea of bringing Connor back when he was still probably in so much pain, and so scared. He wanted to take Connor out of this disgusting place; who knows how badly he had already been traumatized.

 

“No, it’s not a good idea, but if we don’t cool him down and get him stable he’s going to be in even worse trouble.” Markus looked to Hank, not asking for permission, just making sure he knew there was no other option. Hank looked down to Connor’s fragile body, his face blank. He looked back to Markus, telling him with his eyes that he was ready, he just hoped Connor would be ready, too. 

 

Markus reached over once again with the arm that didn't have an opened panel. He set his middle finger to Connor’s LED and closed his eyes briefly. Hank waited a few agonizing moments for something to happen. His eyes were practically glued to Connor's face, hoping to see any of his real self coming through. 

 

Markus soon retracted his hand again, setting it to his side while keeping the arm with an open panel in his lap. They both sit for a few moments waiting for a reaction, Hank’s eyes never leave his still-blank face and eyes. 

 

Suddenly, Connor’s eyes widened in fear and his one remaining hand tightened so greatly, that you could hear the plastic in his other hand being crushed. He took a large breath of air through his mouth, holding it without exhaling again. 

 

The android’s legs straightened from their curled position and he tried to sit up. However, without the use of his arms and his already weakened state, Connor was unable to get off of the floor. His eyes were darting around the room and Hank could imagine that he was trying to get any information he could from the room. 

 

“Hey Hey, Con. Look at me...I’m right here, okay? Connor! Look at me!” Hank was getting more scared as the seconds dragged on. Connor refused to look at his face, his eyes still traveling the room, not landing on the two figures in front of him. Hank had never seen him look too frightened, it was a truly horrifying sight.

 

Markus tried to reach out to Connor’s arm, only for it to be ripped away. Whether it was to interface with him or to try to get a thirium line out so that he could give him some blood was unknown to Hank. All the man knew was that the android was trying to get as far away from them as possible even with his limited movement. 

 

Hank had to stop this. Connor was absolutely hysterical and if he didn’t calm him down, Connor’s condition was only going to get worse. His entire body was trembling drastically, his arm was still clutching his broken one to his chest, and still squeezing so tight that Hank could now see bits of plastic littering the ground. Hank couldn’t take it. 

 

He reached out with both hands, landing gently on Connor’s cheeks and pull his face to look into Hank’s. The android releases his broken arm, letting it fall to the floor clearly showing the crumpled wrist where he had been crushing it. 

 

The android closed his eyes as his working arm reached up to Hank’s arms on his face. Hank could feel the android’s nails lightly scratching his skin, Connor was too frantic to scratch too hard or cause any real damage or cause a lot of pain. 

 

“Connor,” he says slowly and calmly. “I need you to look at me,” The android stopped his struggling (most likely due to his waning strength,) but still refused to look at the man in front of him, keeping his eyes closed and his hand tightly grasped on Hank’s, which was still lightly caressing his face. The android was breathing so heavily, Hank was worried that he would hyperventilate and pass out, although he wasn’t quite sure if an android could do that. 

 

“I know you’re scared and I know it hurts, but I’m going to take care of you just like I promised. I just need you to open your eyes for me,” Hank talked so slowly as if he was speaking to a child. He didn’t care, he needed Connor to understand that he was here and that he was going to be okay. 

 

Slowly, Connor opened his eyes. They were watery and the right one was leaking blue blood. Hank had never been so relieved to see the dark brown irises that took over his eyes; he’s alive and he’s going to be okay. 

 

Connor didn’t react to Hank’s face in front of him and he worried for a second that Connor didn’t know who he was. Had Malcolm beaten hit to the point where Connors mind was corrupted? Did he not remember Hank at all? Was he-

 

Suddenly, Connor’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. Before Hank knew it, Connor had removed his arm from Hank’s hand and brought it to the floor where he pushed himself off the ground and right into Hank’s body. Hank grunted as he felt the full weight of the Android crash into his chest. 

 

Connor quickly ripped his arm from the floor and wrapped it around the man’s neck to hold him up. Connor was sobbing in a way that Hank had never heard anyone cry in his entire life. His whole body was shaking with the force of his sobs and Hank could tell he was trying to say something and just couldn’t get it out. 

 

Markus moved from his side, to sit in front of the two men. 

 

“Hank, you have to calm him down. His heart is beating too fast!” 

 

Markus’s voice was stern, telling Hank that he was very serious. He looked down at the sobbing android in his arms and brought one hand to comb through his hair which he knew the android liked. He started breathing very deeply, trying to give something for Connor to follow. 

 

“Connor, I need you to calm down and follow my breathing, okay?”

 

“Hurts!! H-Hank! …. It h-h-hurts so b-bad,” Connor sounded so pained and broken and it shattered Hanks' heart. 

 

“...I know Con...I know. You need to breath...please,” Hank had never felt so destroyed and he was barely holding it together. But he had too, if he broke down, Connor would only be more stressed out. 

 

Hank continued to rub his hand through the curly hair, his own body shaking with the force of Connor’s sobs. The older man could basically feel the pain in the android. Every time his hands would move from the position they were set in, Connor would flinch away as if he was being burned. 

 

It hurt Hank to know that even his own hands that were trying to care for the android were doing him harm. He never wanted to hurt Connor, but it seemed like every move he made was too much for his body to handle. 

 

“That's good Lieutenant, heart rate is dropping to safer parameters. I need access to his arm, and once the line is in, we need to get him downstairs and to the ambulance; it's already ready for us.”

 

Hank nodded to the android across from him. He noticed that Markus had his arm overtop of his open plate, ready to detach the line in his own arm and attach it to Connor’s. Hank didn't know how he was going to calm Connor down enough to get him to peel his arm away from around his neck. He continued to run his hand up and down the android’s back, trying to quiet him down. 

 

Soon enough, Connor’s cries quieted down to little sniffles and small sobs. It seemed as though he was getting more exhausted by the second, and he wasn't surprised. Connor had been hurt so badly and now he was suffering from its effects. He had to get him out of here and soon. 

 

“Con, we need to give Markus your arm so that he can give you some thirium, then we will take you to the hospital and then you can come home, okay?” It took a few minutes for him to get a response out of the android. He thought he wasn't going to reply to him at all. He was worried that Connor may have passed out on him.

 

Then he felt Connor nod against his chest. It was very subtle, just a fraction of a movement, if all of his thoughts were not on the android at that moment he may have missed it. He looked up to Markus who came to kneel right beside Connor, as close as he could get without touching him. 

 

Hank noticed that Connor’s arm was still around his neck, holding tightly, to keep Hank as close as possible. Hank reached up gently, apparently, Connor wasn't just going to give Markus his arm, he needed some assistance; assistance Hank was happy to give. 

 

However, as soon his hand wrapped around the androids wrist, he let out a loud cry and tugged his hand to his chest, trying to keep it safe. The android started sobbing again, taking in shuddering breaths between his cries. Hank bought his arm away from Connor’s hair and wrapped both arms around the boys back tightly, trying to comfort the poor android, barely holding himself together. 

 

“I’m s-sorry H-H-Hank! I d-didn't want it. I p-promise I d-d-didn't want it!!” Hank knew what he was talking about and let a few more tears run down his face. Connor thought he needed to apologize for what had happened, that couldn't be farther from the truth. 

 

“Connor, you don't have to be sorry for what happened. Nothing is your fault, okay?” 

 

Connor still cried, body shaking, tears wetting Hank’s shirt. He would mutter a few sentences from time to time, only to be sushed by Hank. He could tell from the look on Markus’s eyes that they didn’t have a lot of time. Connor was only getting weaker, he needed blood and he needed medical attention. He could give that to him, just by holding him.

 

“Connor, I need you to let Markus get to your arm, we n-need to get you out of here.”

 

Slowly but surely, Connor wedged his arm out of the space between his and Hank’s chests, which actually allowed them to get closer, much to Hank’s pleasure. Connor’s arm was still folded in on itself, and it seemed as if he couldn’t straighten the limb out or just refused to do so. 

 

“You’re doing so good Con, you’re doing such a good job. When we are done here, we’re going to go home and see Sumo and I’ll even let you plant that garden that you’ve been wanting to do. You’re such a good man Connor, you’re so strong, you inspire me every day, you can get through this, baby. If anyone can, it’s you” 

 

Connor’s LED shifted from red to yellow as Hank praised him. Hank smiled to himself as he saw the changing colors. Even in this state, Connor loved when Hank told him he was doing a good job. Connor loved when he spoke to him like that, and Hank couldn’t think of a time that he deserved it more. 

 

Markus reached his hand out to Connor’s closed fist and tried to bring it down so he could open up the area that he needed. They were both taken aback when Connor let out a whimper of pain at the movement and snapped his arm back as soon as the android let go of him. 

 

“He doesn't have enough thirium to lubricate his joints, which is causing him pain. We really have to get him to the hospital, Hank, he is almost out of thirium.”

 

Hank nods, they need to get out of here but they need to get Connor's line exposed before they can go. He takes both of his arms from around Connor’s body and brought them to his arms. He used his thumb to push into the inner elbow. He pushed hard enough to massage the joint but not enough to cause him pain. 

 

He used his other hand to run up and down his forearm, trying to massage the pain there as well. Connor let out small whimpers as Hank worked  his hands over the skin and faux-muscles. Soon enough, Connor’s arm slowly relaxed and he allows it to open up, revealing his forearm.

 

As soon as Connor’s arm was revealed, Markus reached out and opened up the panel and connected his line with Connor’s, immediately taking the arm in his hand and standing up. Both of their skins retracted and revealed the white frame beneath. Hank assumed it was so that Markus could keep a better eye on his vitals. 

 

“We have to go now Lieutenant, he is beginning to overheat again, and I can only give him so much blood.” 

 

Hank looked down to Connor's face, now peacefully resting in Hank’s arm. It almost looked like he was sleeping if it wasn't for his open eyes, and Hank didn't like that. He gently moved Connor around in his arms, getting him into a position that made him easier to carry. He noticed now how warm the android was. He also noticed that the android would barely wince as Hank touched new areas of his body. 

 

Hank was alarmed at that. Earlier, where ever he would touch would make Connor groan in pain. Now, he barely seemed to notice. Hank strayed a look up to the standing android and checked to make sure that their arms were still connected. Hank slowly got to his feet, being careful not to move the android around too much. 

 

Together, he and Markus began their walk out of the apartment. Hank looked down at Connor and his heart jumped in his chest. Connor’s eyes were open and filled with so much emotion as his eyes connected with his. Hank couldn't place the exact emotion, but he could tell that it wasn't too much of one emotion, but more like a mix of many. 

 

They were almost to the stairs when he felt Markus still beside him for a moment before he continued walking. Hank strayed a look over to the dark-skinned android and when their eyes met, Hank noticed that he looked troubled. 

 

“I was reviewing the incident..and it was quite brutal.”

 

Hank wouldn't doubt it. 


	8. Chapter 8

Hank leaned against the doorway of his own room, watching the figure in the bed breathing deeply. Connor’s LED was a bright blue, lighting up the room in a light glow. Hank was relieved to see the android in such a relaxed state, the past few hours had been absolute hell for both of them. 

 

Thankfully, they had gotten to the hospital in time, and Connor was not left with any permanent damage. Physical damage, that is. It broke Hank’s heart to know that Conor was going to be scarred with the experience for the rest of his life. The whole time they were at the hospital, Connor would flinch every time someone would touch him, and if Hank were to let go of his hand, he would scream and cry until he could feel Hank’s presence again. 

 

All throughout the dark night, Hank made sure that he stayed constantly beside the android, letting him know he wasn't alone and Hank was there for him. Hank couldn’t count the number of times that he had to ask the nurses to stop for a couple of seconds so that he could calm the android. 

 

It was so heartbreaking to see Connor so weak and fragile. Connor was made to be intimidating and to control a room. Connor wasn’t built to be hit and victimized and Hank didn’t know how his emotions would handle it. Hank was going to do whatever he could to make sure Connor was safe and had all the room he needed to heal and get better. 

 

Unfortunately, Malcolm’s parents had gotten him out on bail, so Connor’s abuser was still roaming the streets. Thankfully, he didn’t know where Hank lived, so he had no idea where Connor was. Hank didn’t know what he would do if Malcolm had somehow shown up there. He didn’t think he would be able to contain himself, he might actually kill him. 

 

After all the damage he had done to Connor’s body, that man didn’t even deserve to live. Connor’s entire arm had to be replaced due to the wiring being tugged all throughout the arm, causing it to be unable to fix. He had also torn Connor’s anal cavity, the thought itself made Hank queasy, which needed to be stitched back up. 

 

When they had arrived at the hospital, they had to have Connor remove his skin so that they could see all of the fractures in his frame. Once the white frame had been revealed, blood flowed all over the table from his body where he had been bruised. The blood that was trapped between his skin and the frame, was no longer being held down and could now move without restriction. 

 

Connor had screamed when he saw all the blood he was losing, which in turn made Hank shout as well. Thankfully, Markus had given him enough blood to stabilize him and the new line in his arm was enough to keep him stable. Hank almost wished they would have sent him into stasis so that he wouldn’t have to be awake during all of the repairs. 

 

They eventually chose to send him into stasis, hoping that it would bring down his temperature and would keep him still during the repairs. Hank couldn’t really focus on what they were doing to him, Markus was overseeing that, he kept his focus on Connor’s peaceful face. Even without his skin, he was beautiful; without his hair he was beautiful. Connor had such an amazing personality that it made him even more beautiful on the outside. 

 

Connor’s small smirk that always seemed to make everyone around him happy. It was impossible to see Connors smile and not be happy. Hank was determined to make that smile grace his face every single day. 

 

A small movement in the bed caught his attention. Connor had rolled from one side of the bed to another. He was now rested on the side of the bed that Hank slept on, his face buried into the pillow as he let out a light hum. Hank was happy he hadn’t woken yet; Connor needed lots of rest after what happened. 

 

Sumo had lifted his head from where he was resting at the foot of the bed, looking at the deviant under the covers. The large animal turned his head towards the doorway where Hank was standing and tilted his head to the side. Hank held up his hand palm forward and fanned it in a downward motion, telling the beats to lay down. 

 

He figured Connor would appreciate having a warm body near him when he woke up. Hank didn’t want to get in the bed in case it would freak him out when he woke up. Oh, how he wanted too, though... he wanted to cuddle the android and never let him leave the safety of his arms. But he didn’t know if Connor wanted that, and he definitely wasn’t going to force him. 

 

Once Sumo was laying down again, getting comfortable in his spot, Hank thought it was time for him to take his leave. As much as he wanted to sit there and watch the Android sleep all day, he didn’t want to disturb him. Hank knew he probably wouldn’t be sleeping very well if someone was watching him. 

 

Hank wasn’t exactly sure how an android’s stasis really worked. He  _ did _ know that Connor was repairing all the injuries that were still lingering on his frame. The injuries that weren't bad enough for the technician to treat, but were still injuries nonetheless. Hank wasn’t sure how long the android would be sleeping, but he figured he would awaken when he was all healed up.

 

The man turned to walk down the hallway to the kitchen when he heard a noise from the bed. 

 

“H-Hank?” 

 

Connor’s voice was so tired and so small that it almost made Hank cry again. It had been such a long night and he had heard his voice in so many different ways, but not exactly like this. He sounded quiet and scared, but still much stronger than he had earlier. 

 

When Hank looked back to the room, he saw Connor sitting up with his LED shifting slowly between yellow and red. Hank could see the tears still present in his eyes and the slight blue tinge to his face in the dark room. He looked so scared, but he must know he was safe. Hank thought the safest place for him was his house, and he hopped Connor thought the same. 

Hank let a small smirk reach his lips at the condition the android was in. His hair was all ruffled and sticking up everywhere. His hair was as curly as he had ever seen it, probably from his lack of styling it and the horrid events he had been through in the past few hours. 

 

Connor’s brows were furrowed down slightly. He almost looked confused, but Hank couldn’t find a reason why. He was awake for about two minutes after they were done the repairs. Hank had told him that he was going to take him home and that he was going to take care of him. Maybe Connor had forgotten about it. 

 

He made his way into the room, staying at the foot of the bed to keep a safe distance without making the android feel crowded. He gently pushed Sumo away from his side of the bed so that he could take a seat right beside where Connor’s feet were. He looked up and made eye contact with the deviant whose hands were placed in his lap. 

 

“How are you feeling, Con?” 

 

“...Stupid”

 

Hank now furrowed his eyebrows, a questioning glance crossing his face. Connor’s head was bent down, looking at the folded hands in his lap. He almost looked... ashamed? Hank didn’t understand what Connor was thinking. How he could he possibly think he was stupid? Hank was shocked and had to take a few seconds to figure out what to say. As the silence increased between them, Connor’s LED slowly turned to red and Hank could basically feel the heat pouring off of the android. 

 

“Stupid? What do you mean, Con? You’re not stupid, how could you think that?”

 

“I should have l-left sooner. I should h-h-have recognized that I was in d-danger. I should h-have been able to fight b-back but I was too w-weak. I-I promised to leave him and c-come back h-h-home in one piece, but I failed...” Connor had been reduced to small sobs by the time he was done, being unable to continue with the sentence. 

 

Hank was stunned for more than one reason. Besides the obvious, Connor had called his house,  _ home.  _ Hank always referred to it as home when he was talking to Connor, but the android himself had rarely referred to it as his own home. The thought made Hank more surprised than he would like to admit, but he loved it. He loved that the place Connor felt like he lived and where he felt safest, was his own house,  _ with him. _

 

After the initial shock, Hank was brought back to the situation at hand. Connor thought that he should have done better? He was guilty? Hank was familiar with the guilt that abuse victims will sometimes feel after a traumatic event. But it was so different to see it in someone you cared about, so different to see it from Connor. 

 

“Oh, Connor… baby no.” 

 

Hank quickly crawled up on the bed, settling on the right side of the bed beside where Connor was sitting. It was quite odd to him because this side of the bed was only ever used by the dog that was currently sitting at their feet. He lifted the covers, slowly allowing himself to slip under them with great care. He kept his eyes on the Android, making sure he wasn’t uncomfortable with what Hank was doing. The man was quite glad when he saw Connor’s LED shift to blue for a moment when he was fully settled before shifting back to yellow.

 

Hank was hesitant to touch the android, in case he was still too sensitive to be handled right now. Hank just wanted to grab him and cuddle him. He wanted to hold the android close to his chest and make sure no one could ever get him. He didn't know if Connor wanted that. He hoped that he did, but still he couldn't be sure. 

 

All of his doubts were soon dashed. As soon as he was fully laid down in the bed in a comfortable position, Connor wormed his way over to lay directly in his arms. He pushed his head directly under Hank’s chin so he could snuggle against the man's throat. Hank could see his eyelashes fluttering on his neck, causing a shiver to run up his spine. 

 

The man brought his arms around Connor’s back, rubbing up and down in place. Hank never thought he would get to experience moments like this with Connor. He never thought he would be here in his bed, cuddling the very android who had held his heart in a fist for the past year. He never imagined Connor  _ wanting  _ to do this with him. 

 

Yet, here he is, with an armful of android in his bed. 

 

Connor was still warm and his body was still shaking, but Hank could no longer feel the wetness of blood all over his body and that was enough for Hank. Having Connor in his arms was a brilliant feeling. Hank felt needed and wanted. The feeling was even better because it was Connor, the android that was helplessly attracted too. 

 

Hank never wanted to leave this moment, wanted to keep Connor calm and happy in his arms forever. But they needed to talk. They couldn't just go on with life as if nothing happened. Connor had been aware of everything as it was happening and Hank knew that traumatized him, it would have traumatized anyone. 

 

Hank couldn't ignore that his best friend had been through a life-changing experience. He needed to talk to someone. Hank hoped that ‘someone’ would be himself, but even if Connor needed to speak to someone else, he had to talk to someone. 

 

Hank brought his hands to Connor’s shoulders, pulling the android back so that he could see his eyes. Eyes full of emotion. 

 

“Connor, none of what happened yesterday was your fault, okay? He is a disgusting, rude, awful excuse of a man. He should have never been involved with someone as sweet as you. It's not your fault, Con.”

 

The android looked down at his hands in shame and Hank felt his stomach twist. Connor only deserved happy emotions, nothing else. It was a crime to make him feel otherwise. 

 

Hank used his index and middle fingers to lift up Connor’s head by the chin. The android’s face may be completely normal, and look as if he had never been injured, but Hank could see it. The pain in his eyes was overwhelming. Connor let a light smile grace his features for a couple of seconds in appreciation for Hank’s sentiment. The man could already sense the confession bubbling out of his mouth before he even knew what to say. 

 

“Look Con, we have best friends since you became deviant and honestly, this is the happiest I have been since Cole died. Being able to spend time with you made my nights a lot easier because you are just so much damn fun to be around. Seeing you with Malcolm was really hard. I saw when he would mistreat you and it hurt me to see you in so much pain like that. Anyway, I want you to know that you don't have to worry about him anymore, I’m going to keep you safe, I promise.” 

 

Hank had never felt so nervous. Sure, he didn't actually say  _ exactly  _ what he meant, but he did lay it on pretty thick. He hoped Connor understood. This was so different than every other person he had confessed his love too. He wasn't even this nervous when he proposed to his ex-wife some years ago. He didn't want to ruin what he and Connor had, but he also wanted so much more.

 

Connor had yet to say anything and Hank would have been worried if it wasn't for the shit-eating grin that had spread across Connor’s face. It seemed as if Hank’s confession had given Connor his own burst of confidence. The android smirked and wrapped his arms around Hank’s neck, bringing them impossibly closer. Hank sucked in a breath at the sight in front of him. Connor was less than two inches from his face, his eyes barely open and a smile on his lips. 

 

Hank couldn't help but let his eyes shoot from Connor’s eyes to his lips repeatedly. Connor was so close Hank could almost taste him. Hank was about to say something when Connor broke the silence first. 

 

“I never told you how Malcolm and I met,” Connor’s returned confidence was detectable through his words, it was an unexpected but very nice change. 

 

“N-No, you never wanted to talk about it, so I left it alone.” Connor leaned closer so their noses were just barely touching, causing Hanks eyes to widen in shock. 

 

“Do you remember when they came out with alcoholic thirium?” 

 

Hank chuckled to himself, “Yeah, you went out with Markus and came home at like three in the morning and you were absolutely plastered.” It was a fond memory, in Hank’s opinion. 

 

Connor’s smile widened, “ Yes, well I was so intoxicated because this man kept buying me drinks all night. I poured my heart out to him about my very attractive coworker that I was very attracted too. I told him all about his dark gray hair that I imagined running my hand through daily, with and without skin covering my frame.” 

 

One of Connor’s hands lifted to run his fingers through Hank’s hair. Hank shut his eyes in pure bliss, it felt amazing. 

 

“I told him how he always made me feel safe, accepted and wanted when I was around him. I told him that this co-worker was also my best friend and that I knew there was no way he could be interested in me. He told me that he would help me forget about all of that, and I said yes. Since I was so intoxicated, I agreed.”

 

Hank thought he felt his stomach fall all the way to his feet. Was Connor in this abusive relationship because he was trying to forget about him? The guilt was so immense that Hank could already feel tears welling in his eyes. Did Connor go through all of this... because of him?

 

Connor brought his other hand to Hank’s cheek, gently rubbing the skin as he continued. 

 

“Thankfully, Markus stopped that and took me back here, where you took care of me. The man had given me his number and when I woke up in the morning, I messaged him. I don't know why I did it, I had very clear feelings for you but it was just so odd for someone to be interested in me like that, so I was curious. I realize how much of a mistake that was now. I didn't need anyone else, I just had to wait for one of us to lose patience and finally mention it.” 

 

Hank felt slightly better, but not much. He wouldn't be able to handle himself if it was his fault Connor ended up in such a dangerous situation. 

 

“Y-You only went out with him, b-because of m-me?” 

 

Connors facial expression never changed, it was almost as if he expected this reaction from the detective. 

 

“No, Hank, I started dating Malcolm because I wanted to. I wanted to experience a relationship with him. I chose to message him, and I chose to stay as long as I did. There was nothing you could have done to change it, so do not put this on yourself.”

 

Connor got impossibly closer, their lips only a breath apart. 

 

“I’m just lucky that you waited this long for me to get my shit together.”

 

Suddenly, Hank could feel the incredible soft lips touch his own. He was shocked at first but slowly melted into the kiss. He felt Connor’s hands wrap back around his neck and tried to pull him closer even though their chests were already touching. He wrapped his own hands around the android’s waist, marveling at the size difference between his hands and Connor’s waist. His hands could practically wrap all the way around his waist and touch his fingers together. 

 

He began to rub small circles into the skin on Connor’s back, soothing motions to try to keep the android calm throughout. He could feel Connor press harder against his mouth every time he would push in on the middle of his back. The thought made him smile, knowing that he was able to cause such a reaction in him.

 

He gently pushed his touch against Connor’s lips, coaxing him to open his mouth and allow Hank to enter. It didn't take long for Connor to comply, opening his mouth to allow their tongues to mingle in his own mouth. Hank couldn't help but let out small moans at the feeling, causing Connor to let out his own, which only egged Hank on further. 

 

Soon enough, Hank had to pull away for air. He also didn't want this to continue too far. After what Connor had just experienced, they had to take this in steps. However, Hank couldn't deny that it was the best kiss he had ever been a part of. Connor’s mouth moved perfectly with his own, it was like they were made to kiss each other. Hank liked that though, being made for Connor, and Connor being made for him. 

 

Connor was breathless, regardless of not actually needed to breath. He looked up to Hank, chocolate brown meeting sky blue. Hank was relieved to see that the spark had returned to the android’s eyes. He looked happy, and Hank was so proud that he was the one to make him feel that way. 

 

“Was that… o-okay?” Connor asked in between his heavy breaths, causing Hank to smirk. He brought his hand to Connor’s chin, lifting it up to bring their lips to close again. 

 

“That was more than okay, Connor. That was downright fucking perfect.” Their lips connected again. 


	9. Chapter 9

Hank thought the next few days were going to be much harder than they actually were. He expected Connor to be scared and skittish for a little while, but it seemed like everything was back to normal. Connor seemed to spring back into his old routine rather quickly. 

 

The morning after their mutual confessions, Hank woke up to the smell of bacon wafting through his room. He realized that Connor was not in the bed as he had been when they fell asleep. At first, Hank was worried about where the android had gotten off too but was soon relieved when he realized that Connor must have just been in the kitchen 

 

When he exited the room and walked into the kitchen, he saw Connor at the stove cooking a delicious smelling breakfast. Hank heard the toast pop up from the toaster, and soon enough everything was being plated and Connor turned o place everything on the table. 

 

“Oh, Hello Hank. I didn't expect you to be awake just yet,” The Android set the plate of food down on the table, alongside a mug that seemed to be filled with coffee. Hank smirked lightly, it was so strange to see Connor doing such domestic tasks. It was almost as if Connor had been made for it if the smell of his food was anything to go by. 

 

Connor pulled out the dining room chair, gesturing for Hank to take a seat. The older man chuckled as he took the small steps to the table, taking in Connor’s kind demeanor. Connor was so sweet and kind and you could see it through his eyes. How did Hank get so lucky?

 

He strode over to the pulled out chair and stood right in front of it. Instead of taking his seat, he leaned in and kissed Connor gently on the cheek. The android gasped and his eyes widened at the action. Hank could see a blue tinge come to his cheeks as he turned away with a large smile on his face. Hank chuckled as he finally sat down to eat. Everything seemed right. 

  
  


Now, two days later, he was more nervous than ever. The two men were walking into the precinct to have a short meeting with Fowler. They weren't due to work for another few days but the captain wanted to talk to the pair about Connor’s safety and their casework for the next few months. 

 

Hank was not ready for what he imagined to be a very uncomfortable conversation. He and Connor had done a lot of talking over the last few days, and they were both sure of what Connor’s restrictions are and how he was feeling after the attack. He hated that they now had to bring Fowler in on that conversation; he didn't know if it would make the android uncomfortable but he really didn't want that.

 

Hank strayed a look to the android beside him and was happy to see that Connor looked quite confident as he walked into the precinct. He had his head held high, and a hint of a smile on his lips, he looked as calm as always. Hank wished he was that calm. 

 

Connor put his head down as he walked into the bullpen and Hank immediately knew why. Everyone in the bullpen was looking at them, _ every one _ . They all had large smiles on their faces and Hank could tell that many of them were trying not to cheer, Tina's hands clasped together tightly to calm her excitement. Hank smiled at them all as he turned the android towards Fowler’s office. 

 

Hank knew that Connor didn't want a lot of attention on himself, so he tried his best to keep the android out of the limelight. He could hear the officers talking amongst themselves about what happened, and how good Connor looked considering what just happened. Hank made it a point to address everyone later, to thank them for the continued support. 

 

Connor still had his head down as he entered Fowler’s office. Hank knew he still struggled with emotions and since he himself had a lot of trouble showing gratitude, he figured Connor would struggle as well. 

 

Fowler was sitting beside his desk looking at a rather large file but raised his head as the two entered the room. Hank and Connor took residence in the two seats on the opposite side of the desk, thankfully they were quite comfortable. Fowler’s eyes passed from Hank to Connor as he began to speak. 

 

“Connor, before we begin anything here, I would like to extend my deepest apologies for what happened to you. I’m sorry you had to suffer through that, no one should ever have to go through what you did.”

 

“Thank you, Captain, your concern is greatly appreciated.”

 

Fowler noded, still always caught off guard by Connor’s language and how intelligently he spoke. Most people were often surprised by it when they first meet Connor, as many new deviants have already changed their speech patterns and mimicked that of humans. Connor didn't seem to mind the way he spoke and never opted to change it. Which was perfectly fine with Hank, he didn't think anything about Connor needed to be changed. 

 

“Now, I am going to be keeping the both of you on desk work for a few days, starting tomorrow. I would like you two to get some time to collect yourselves after what happened,” They both nodded. Hank agreed anyways, he didn't want Connor to be rushed right into the field again. The android said he was ready to return to work, but Hank thought otherwise.

 

“Also, you two will not be on any cases that involved sexual abuse because I feel it may be too painful for you Connor, I hope you understand.”

 

“I guarantee you, Captain I am mor-”

 

“That's a great idea, Fowler, the  _ both _ of us agree.” Hank shot a pointed look to the android beside him while Connor sent him a disapproving glance in return. 

 

Thankfully, he didn't argue. Hank knew that Connor didn't like to look weak or accept that he had any struggles, but Hank knew he did. The android liked to make it look like he had not been affected at all by the attack. Hank could tell though, he knew Connor more than he knew himself. 

 

“Connor, I would like you to go see the precinct psychiatrist or maybe a therapist of your own choosing for a couple of sessions, spanning over a couple of weeks. Just until you have thoroughly worked through this.”

 

“Captain, I do not wish to disagree with you, but I swear to you that I am fine and do not need any therapeutic sessions.”

 

Fowler sighed as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Connor, I cannot allow you to enter the field until you have mentally dealt with what happened. You would be in a multitude of dangers.” Hank noticed the small tip at the side of Fowler's mouth, indicating he had an idea. 

 

“What if you two were chasing a suspect, and you had been incapacitated by memory from that incident? Hank would have to fight the suspect alone and would be in grave danger, he could even be killed. I promise Connor, I’m doing this for your safety and Hank’s.” 

 

Hank could see the words in Connor’s mouth die on his tongue. He was about to fight back with another argument, but at the knowledge of Hank being in possible danger, he closed his mouth and stayed quiet. The android let out a small sigh, nodding at his superior and leaning back in his seat. Hank’s stomach twisted, it was very odd to see Connor looking so defeated and the effect was only exaggerated by the android relaxing his posture. Hank shot a disapproving glance at the captain; he didn't like being used to battle Connor’s emotions. The other man just shrugged nonchalantly. 

 

“I’m sure whatever therapist you see, wouldn't be opposed to having Hank come in the room with you. So you don't have to do it alone, that is if Hank agrees.” Hank almost laughed at the way Connor looked at him. His eyebrows were creased and it looked as if the android was pouting. His eyes were questioning as if Hank would make him go alone. 

 

“I’ll go with you if you want, Con.” A large appreciative smile broke out across the android's face for a moment before he nodded and looked down to his lap in embarrassment. 

 

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

 

Hank chuckled to himself as he looked back up towards the aging man in front of him. Fowler nodded to them both before turning to look at the android. 

 

“Alright Connor, I am done with you for now. If you wouldn't mind, I need to have a word with Hank, in private. I think you have a crowd waiting for you anyways.”

 

Both Hank and Connor’s heads shot to the glass wall of the office, looking out towards their desks. Tina, Gavin, Chris, Ben and a few of the rookies who had helped on the day that Connor was attacked, were standing around and leaning against their two desks all talking amongst themselves. 

 

Hank smiled to himself, sometimes he forgot how much of a family unit everyone here was. They all cared for each other, even Gavin, even though he is awful most of the time. They had all been nice to him when he was struggling with Cole’s death. They were good people, and now, Connor was going to get to experience it firsthand. 

 

Hank turned to see Connor looking quite nervous at the group of people that he knew wanted to talk to him. Hank had noticed that Connor was pretty shy around crowds, and he was hoping to work on breaking that sometime soon. Hank leaned over and nudged the android with his elbow and cocking his head to the side. 

 

“Don't be nervous Con, they’re your friends. They just want to make sure you're okay,” Connor kept his gaze on the older man’s kind eyes before nodding his head slowly and stood from his seat. The android stretched his hand over across the desk to shake Fowler’s hand. The Captain reached out his own hand and clasped it around the androids. 

 

“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Captain,”

 

“The pleasure was all mine, detective, I’ll see you and your partner in two days. I expect your first appointment to be scheduled by then.”

 

The android nodded and slowly left the office and before the door close., Hank would hear small words of encouragement to the android. Hank watched as all of the officers went up to meet him. They patted him on the back and Tina even gave him a hug. Hank was happy to see that the android was smiling despite his dislike of crowds, even small ones. 

 

Hank let his gaze shift over to the captain and waited for him to tell him what he wanted with him. Hank didn't know how long they sat there in silence, but it was long enough for all of the rookies to say what they needed and return to their tasks. Chris, Ben, Gavin, and Tina still talking to the android detective at his desk. 

 

“So Hank,” Finally. “How is he really? I know what he tells me, but I feel as if you’ll give me a more honest idea of how he's doing.” Hank looked down at his lap and sighed, shaking his head. 

 

“Well, not great. During the day he is fine, most of the time. At night, he will have horrible nightmares that make him scream and shake around, it almost looks like he's having a seizure. He got me real good in the face once or twice when I tried to wake him. I think he's like trying to fight him off in his sleep. Sometimes he won't even get to sleep before he breaks down. He’ll spend the entire night crying and he says he has to force a sleep mode so that is systems can rest.”

 

Fowler let out a large sigh and shook his head while looking down at his desk. “I didn't think it was that bad,” he says quietly. 

 

“That's not even the worst of it. Sometimes I’ll go out during the day, and I’ll come home and he’ll be curled up on the floor, crying and tucking himself in a corner. I think he's trying to hide. When I try to get close to him, he’ll scream and try to get away from me, I think he gets like… stuck I guess, back there and he doesn't know what to do about it,”

 

Hank can remember the first time it happened. He kept trying to calm him down, but Connor would just lash out at him and cry louder. It took hours to talk him out of it. When he was back in reality, he flung himself into Hank’s arms, causing the man to let out a large sigh of relief. That night ended with both of them crying on each other's shoulders. 

 

“Do you think he needs more time before he comes back? How long do you think he needs?” Hank turned to Fowler and was about to answer him when he heard a sudden noise from the bullpen. He whipped his head back around to get a look at the disturbance. The sight made his blood run cold.

 

Connor was alone, leaning against Hank’s desk. Everyone was on the other side of the room going about their regular business by the look of things. It almost seemed normal if it wasn't for the unsettlingly familiar man quickly making his way over to the android. Malcolm

 

It all seemed to go in slow motion. Connor looked up from the file he was glancing at and Hank could almost see the fear bleeding into his eyes. His body was stiff with fear and it seemed as if he was frozen in place. Connor’s eyes were wide at the sight in front of him and his LED went from a calm blue to a dark, blood red in under a second. 

 

The other officers on the other side of the precinct looked up when they wear the yelling. They were all familiar with the man that once used to be Connor’s boyfriend. Everyone had been given his profile, in the case that he was to be involved in another crime. They would know him to be a very dangerous abuse who was currently out on bail. 

 

Tina began to take large strides across the bullpen floor, but Hank knew she couldn't reach him in time. Hank reached for the door handle, but he wouldn't make it in time either. Malcolm was so close to him, no one could get to him in time. 

 

Hank vaguely heard Fowler shout something to the right of him but Hank couldn't tell what it was. Hank vaguely saw the figure of the receptionist android just entering the room with two of the security officers behind her. Too far away. Everyone was  _ too far away.  _

 

Connor had not moved an inch since Malcolm had come into sight and that worried Hank even further. Connor was too afraid or shocked to protect himself and everyone else was too far away to help him. Hank had no idea what Malcolm would do when he got to him, but he didn't need to know. He already knew it would be bad. Every officer in the precinct looked horrified. All of their faces were shocked and stunned at the abrupt entrance of a horrible criminal they handled not even a week earlier. 

 

Connor’s face was absolutely blank. No blatant emotion showed on his face. The only sign that he felt anything at all was the wide eyes filled with an emotion that only Hank could see. Fear. Absolute, utter fear. 

 

Malcolm's face only showed anger. The kind of anger that Hank used to feel to the androids that he believed killed his son. The anger that he saw in Gavin when he first met Connor. They type of anger that he saw in many of the perps he took in. Enough anger to  _ kill. _

 

Hank had just barely opened the door by the time that Malcolm was close enough to touch the android. He almost wanted to close his eyes when he thought about what Malcolm might do. The last thing he wanted to see was Connor being hurt in such a way as he did the night he was attacked. 

 

It was so quick, but Hank saw Connor’s eyes flicker to his for less than a second. But that was enough. He looked so scared and so hurt. It was like he was remembering what was happening all over again. Hank realized again how absolutely beautiful the android way. He was the most beautiful android that had ever been created, in his opinion. 

 

His eyes were big and full of wonder, the dark brown depths reminded Hank of the dark trees in a forest, like his favorite camping spot. They reminded him of all their best memories, his happiest after his son died, all held in those beautiful eyes. 

 

Hank loved the dark curl that refused to stay in place and ended up falling on the androids forehead. His lips were plump and soft, oh, how Hank loved kissing them. 

Now though, Connor’s eyes were full of sorrow and fear. It was almost as if his eyes were screaming to be helped. Like he was looking to Hank to save him. Hank’s heart shattered, he wanted to save him, wanted to rescue him from the hands currently reaching out to him. But he wasn't fast enough. Hank hoped that his eyes delivered that message well, but he couldn't be sure. 

 

Connor’s head flipped back to the threat in front of him, tearing themselves away from Hank’s eyes. Suddenly, Connor’s eyes scrunched up in anger and his lips parted, showing his teeth. Connor was solely overtaken by anger for the moment and Hank couldn't suppress his surprise. 

 

Connor’s hand at his side formed a fist, squeezing so tight, Hank thought his nails would break the skin. Connor raised his hand, pulling it behind him as he wined up and Hank was absolutely stunned. 

 

In one second, everything was back to normal speed for Hank. Connor pushed his fist forward, landing it right into the cheek of Malcolm's face. Connor let out a loud grunt at the force of his punch, his face wincing in pain at the force. Hank could see Connor’s entire hand shatter as soon as it made contact, sending shards of plastic across his desk and the floor. 

 

The skin immediately retracted from the broken hand as Connor pulled the seemingly broken limb to his chest. Blood sprayed from Malcolm's mouth as he was forced to the floor by the strength of Connor’s punch. The man hit the floor and didn't move again, save for the small breathing of his chest. 

 

Hank was absolutely flabbergasted. Sure, he had seen Connor defend himself in the field and fight against suspects. But he had never seen so much emotion, so much anger coming from the android. Hank knew that Connor was strong and that he could probably break someone's neck in less than a second, but seeing him do something with so much strength, was insane. 

 

Hank quickly rushed forward, seeming to have come to his sense, as did everyone else. Connor had tears streaming down his face and Hank couldn't tell if they were from the pain in his hand, the fear of Malcolm's presence, or just the overwhelming emotion of the moment. 

 

Hank reached Connor first. Without a second thought, he pulled the android into his arms, wrapping one hand around the android’s waist and the other around the back of his head, allowing his shirt to dry up Connor’s tears. All of the other officers rushed past them, racing to the man passed out on the floor. Hank could already see the bruising on his cheek and it looked as if his cheekbone was broken. 

 

Hank grabbed Connors' shoulders and pushed him back slightly, just enough to see the androids face. Connor’s cheeks and eyes were wet with tears, making the brown in his eyes even brighter. His eyebrows were furrowed downward, showing his emotions easily. Connor refused to make eye contact with him. He kept his eyes cast to the floor or the desk, anywhere but Hank’s eyes. 

 

The man put his finger under his chin, lifting his face to forcing the android to look at him. 

 

“Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt? What can I do to help? God, Connor you’re so fucking brave,” That last comment got the android to smile slightly, the fear and pain leaving him instantly. The android leaned back from Hank’s embrace slightly, showing the hand that had been plastered to his chest. 

 

All of the plastic had been cracked and split. None of the white frame remained on his fingers and less than half of the past was still on the rest of his hand. Hank chuckled lightly at the hand they had just gotten replaced after the attack, it seemed like it would have to be replaced again. 

 

Hank leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the android’s, smiling at him encouragingly. He leaned back up and place a small kiss on Connor’s forehead. Privacy be damned, they had no reason to hide their relationship, especially from their coworkers and friends. 

 

Hank turned back towards the man on the floor, he wanted so badly to kick him, but he really didn't need another page in his disciplinary file. However, he felt Fowler would look the other way on this one. Hank quickly steered the android away from the sight of the growing blood puddle on the floor from Malcolm's mouth. Hank could imagine that he lost a couple of teeth. 

 

Fowler stood in front of them, an obviously apologetic look on his face. 

 

“Please tell me you are not going to let that guy out on bail again,” He joked. 

 

“Definitely not.” he chuckled. “Connor… I am so so sorry this happened. You should feel safe in your place of work and this definitely should not have happened.” Connor only continued to look down at the floor, still holding his broken hand to his chest. Hank could tell the android was embarrassed, there was no reason to be, but obviously, Connor felt differently. 

 

“It’s o-okay,” Connor whispered and Hank wasn't sure if the captain was able to hear it. Hank lifted his head to look at his old friend, still hearing all the commotion behind him as everyone tried to get Malcolm to the holding cells and get the precinct doctor to look at him.

 

Hank was worried about how Connor would be feeling at the end of this. He knew that it must have only worsened his trauma from the back to back events. Hank didn't know what would happen, but he knew they could face it, together. 

 

“To answer your question, Captain, We’ll see you in a week,” The two detectives then walked out of the precinct hand in hand. 

  
  
  


Hank sat in the driver's seat as they drove home after they had picked up a new hand at the cyberlife store. The box was sat in Connor’s lap, his good hand holding it securely on his legs. 

 

The android was staring out of the window with a slight smile on his face which surely elevated Hank’s own mood. Happy Connor makes a happy Hank. 

 

“You know, for someone who has been through what  _ you _ have in the past few days, you look quite happy right now. What’s up, Con?”

 

The android turned to look at him, smile growing wider and Hank was once again reminded of how handsome he was. 

 

“I just… I really love you, Hank.”

 

The man felt his heart swell ten times bigger than it already was. He felt his mouth fall open in shock at the android’s words. Hank wasn't sure that anyone could ever love a man like him. An old, blackout drunk of a detective who was just inches away from getting fired. Hank didn't understand what he did to deserve a man like Conor to love him.

 

Connor was absolutely perfect in Hank’s opinion. He loved everything about the android. He was so patient with him and his driving, he took care of him when he would have breakdowns about losing Cole. Some nights, Hank could call to cancel plans with him because he was thinking about Cole too much which cause an avalanche of emotions he couldn't control. 

 

Instead of just agreeing and letting the man wallow in his despair, Connor would come over anyway. He would let Hank talk about his late son and reminisce about the good memories together. When he would lose it and have a good cry, Connor wouldn't judge him. He allowed him to cry it out, and then they would continue afterward. 

 

He was always so kind to Hank, and even stern when he needed it. Thanks to Connor, Hank didn't feel dependant on alcohol anymore. He found other ways to cope when things got hard that wouldn't destroy his body. 

 

Connor was so much more than he deserved. The android could be with a young, sexy man who could keep up with him and didn't have any baggage. But he chose to stay and he chose to love Hank. The man couldn't think of a better gift. 

 

Hank tilted his head and smirked at the android beside him. He let his eyes fill with a tear and tried his best not to let it fall.

 

“I love you too, Connor.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys like it!! I worked really really hard on this so I'm hoping you'll be able to leave a comment and let me know what you felt about it! Comments really help me to continue writing and they never fail to make me happy!
> 
> Have a beautiful day!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I really hope you like it! I worked so so so hard on it, in total it came out to 66 pages! it took me over a month to write! I would like to thank my beta reader LadyAmalthea! She is so amazing and she is such a sweet and makes writing so much easier. Please check out her stuff! She just published and AMAZING one-shot that everyone should go have a look at! 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading, please leave a comment so I know if you guys liked it! if you have any ideas for something I should write please let me know!! Kudos are much appreciated as well! Hope you all have a wonderful day! Thanks again!


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